Detainees at Yarl’s Wood hold their own money in possession. The centre has facilities to store monies and valuables on their behalf should they require it. There have been no complaints recorded relating to missing money.
The provision of services to detainees at Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre is subject to self audit by Serco which operates the centre under contract to the Border and Immigration Agency. The self audit process is in turn audited by Border and Immigration Agency staff and is subject to routine monitoring and scrutiny by the Border and Immigration Agency managers in the site monitoring team. There is also an Independent Monitoring Board that has unrestricted access to the centre 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and also has direct access to the Secretary of State’s office. The establishment is also subject to regular inspection by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons. Whenever issues arise concerning the provision of services including those listed in the question, both the on site Border and Immigration Agency staff and the contractor are committed to resolving concerns and improving systems accordingly. Since 26 April 2007 Serco has only received one complaint, this was in relation to the availability of telephone and fax services, and this was addressed immediately.