THE government is failing to protect torture survivors and other vulnerable groups in Britain’s immigration removal centres (IRCs) by treating them with unfounded suspicion, a watchdog has found.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) said in its report yesterday that a belief by some Home Office staff that migrants are trying to abuse the system is causing “shortcomings” in the care provided.

The report focuses on the government body’s Rule 35 process, which creates a mechanism for doctors to identify people who may be vulnerable, calling it “ineffective.”

In the third annual inspection of adults at risk in immigration, ICIBI chief inspector David Neal said that the perception that Rule 35 was being abused by detainees was common in the three locations he inspected.

“I do not accept the limited evidence provided to support this assertion,” he said in the report.

Mr Neal said that it is “absolutely clear” that there are individuals in the system who have suffered torture and are the victims of trafficking.

He said: “In light of my findings that the system is not working as well as it should, I am concerned that Home Secretary [Suella Braverman] has judged this to be an appropriate moment to terminate her predecessor’s commission to ICIBI to carry out an annual review of adults at risk policies and safeguards.

“Because it is such an important area, I intend to continue to include this area in my own inspection programme, in line with my statutory remit, and I will continue to bring my findings to the attention of the Home Secretary, Parliament, and the public.”

The report also found that the quality of data relied on to manage the detention system was “poor,” with several individuals who had been released many years previously wrongly recorded as being in detention, in some cases in IRCs that are now closed.

It added that work to address issues flagged in the last two annual inspections “has progressed at a glacial pace, with some areas seeing no improvement at all.”

The Home Office said it is “disappointed with the ICIBI’s claims” and that it takes the “welfare of detained individuals extremely seriously.”

Freedom from Torture head of asylum advocacy Sile Reynolds said that both the report and the government’s response to it exposes the “brazen disdain” that it has for the wellbeing of the people under its care.

She said: “The scandals at Manston and Brook House revealed the government’s total inability to protect vulnerable people, including torture survivors, from the harmful effect of immigration detention.

“But rather than improving Home Office safeguards, Suella Braverman is dodging scrutiny by abolishing one of the only remaining mechanisms that shines a light on her dysfunctional department.

“The government must immediately address the concerns raised in the chief inspector’s report and reinstate the annual review of adults at risk before more people are seriously harmed.”