Dungavel
Encyclopedia
Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention
facility in South Lanarkshire
, Scotland
, near the town of Strathaven
that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House. It is operated by the UK Border Agency
of the Home Office
.
, Dungavel was the eventual destination for Rudolf Hess
's doomed 1941 peace mission. Dungavel was sold on to the National Coal Board
in 1947. It was then acquired by the government and turned into an open prison
. In 2001 its role changed and it is used for holding asylum seekers whose applications have been refused prior to their removal. It however, remains the final resting place for the thirteenth Duke of Hamilton
, a naval officer whose grave lies within the close policies of the castle, once adorned with a ship's anchor.
, in some cases for over a year. The Ay Family
, Yurdugal Ay and her four children aged 7 to 14 were held in Dungavel for over a year before eventually gaining asylum in Germany
.
The Children's Commissioner for Scotland has described the facility as "morally upsetting" and has threatened to report the UK and Scottish government
s to the United Nations
committee on the Rights of the Child
. However, former Home Secretary
David Blunkett
has said that "Detention, while regrettable, is an essential part of effective immigration control - to affect removal, establish identity or prevent absconding. Where it is necessary to detain individuals with children, we believe it is better that the children remain with their parents rather than split up the family".
Although Scottish Executive
ministers have no authority over Dungavel as asylum
is a matter reserved
to the UK Parliament in London; they are responsible for child welfare
. The complex legal and political situation has added to the importance of public debate regarding the facility.
After the 2010 UK General election, the new UK Coalition government
announced it would end the detention of children under 18 at Dungavel. It has yet to be established whether this will mean those with families will no longer be detained, or if children will be placed into the foster care system until their parents are released.
Immigration detention
Immigration detention is the policy of holding individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorised arrival, and those subject to deportation and removal in detention until a decision is made by immigration authorities to grant a visa and release them into the community, or to...
facility in South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, near the town of Strathaven
Strathaven
Strathaven is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town was granted a Royal Charter in 1450, making the Town of Strathaven a burgh of barony. The town's principal industry was primarily weaving in the 19th and early 20th centuries, however this declined when faced by...
that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House. It is operated by the UK Border Agency
UK Border Agency
The UK Border Agency is the border control body of the United Kingdom government and part of the Home Office. It was formed on 1 April 2008 by a merger of the Border and Immigration Agency , UKvisas and the Detection functions of HM Revenue and Customs...
of the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
.
History
Once a hunting lodge and summer retreat of the Dukes of HamiltonDuke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
, Dungavel was the eventual destination for Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
's doomed 1941 peace mission. Dungavel was sold on to the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
in 1947. It was then acquired by the government and turned into an open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
. In 2001 its role changed and it is used for holding asylum seekers whose applications have been refused prior to their removal. It however, remains the final resting place for the thirteenth Duke of Hamilton
Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
Lieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL was a Scottish nobleman and sailor.-Life and Succession:...
, a naval officer whose grave lies within the close policies of the castle, once adorned with a ship's anchor.
Current Use
It has been the scene of several protests on the basis that babies and young children have been held there prior to deportationDeportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
, in some cases for over a year. The Ay Family
Ay family
The Ay family were Kurdish asylum seekers who became the centre of a controversy in 2003 surrounding the policy of locking up children in high security detention centres in the United Kingdom....
, Yurdugal Ay and her four children aged 7 to 14 were held in Dungavel for over a year before eventually gaining asylum in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The Children's Commissioner for Scotland has described the facility as "morally upsetting" and has threatened to report the UK and Scottish government
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
s to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
committee on the Rights of the Child
Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Committee on the Rights of the Child is a body of independent experts that monitors and reports on implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by governments that ratify the Convention...
. However, former Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
has said that "Detention, while regrettable, is an essential part of effective immigration control - to affect removal, establish identity or prevent absconding. Where it is necessary to detain individuals with children, we believe it is better that the children remain with their parents rather than split up the family".
Although Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
ministers have no authority over Dungavel as asylum
Right of asylum
Right of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
is a matter reserved
Reserved matters
In the United Kingdom reserved matters and excepted matters are the areas of government policy where Parliament had kept the power to make laws in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales....
to the UK Parliament in London; they are responsible for child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
. The complex legal and political situation has added to the importance of public debate regarding the facility.
After the 2010 UK General election, the new UK Coalition government
United Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)
The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
announced it would end the detention of children under 18 at Dungavel. It has yet to be established whether this will mean those with families will no longer be detained, or if children will be placed into the foster care system until their parents are released.