{"id":1195,"date":"2018-10-17T14:54:53","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T14:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/refugeerightscampaign.org\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2018-10-17T14:55:48","modified_gmt":"2018-10-17T14:55:48","slug":"private-contractors-paid-millions-to-run-uk-detention-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refugeerightscampaign.org\/?p=1195","title":{"rendered":"Private contractors paid millions to run UK detention centres"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks The Guardian<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figures reveal some firms may be making up to 30% profit on Home Office contracts<\/p>\n

\"vvvvvv\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Home Office has paid a handful of private contractors hundreds of millions of pounds to run the UK\u2019s immigration removal centres, but no one knows for certain just how profitable the industry is.<\/p>\n

One of the 10 UK facilities is run by Her Majesty\u2019s Prison and Probation Service, but the rest are contracted out to outsourcing firms G4S, Mitie, Serco<\/a>and the US-owned GEO Group.<\/p>\n

Commercial confidentiality agreements mean the Home Office and outsourcing companies are not obliged to publish detailed financial information about immigration detention centres in the UK.<\/p>\n

But figures released under freedom of information laws and published on the government\u2019s Contracts Finder website<\/a> show the value of some contracts when they were awarded.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Mitie won what is believed to be the largest immigration detention contract ever awarded, valued at more than \u00a3500m<\/a>. The contract will cover a range of services and it is not known how much of this is for management of removal centres.<\/p>\n

The profitability of detention facilities has proved to be a contentious issue for the contractors.<\/p>\n

A Guardian investigation<\/a> last year pointed to a 20.7% profit margin at the G4S-owned Brook House in 2016, while at Tinsley House the margin was 41.5%.<\/p>\n

Both figures appeared to be above the agreed margin set out in the contracts. The G4S<\/a> executive, Peter Neden, refused to divulge the true margin to a parliamentary committee after the allegations emerged.<\/p>\n