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2h ago

Minister Orders Heathrow Immigration Centre to Drop 'Unnecessary' Craft Job Ads

Contractor Mitie says the posts fulfill welfare obligations in its Home Office contract, citing inspectors who found activities helped detainees manage detention stresses.

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The UK Home Office is advertising for teachers to meet with illegal migrants and tutor them on an array of crafts including - but not restricted to - hairdressing, "balloon craft," flower arranging, and cake decorating.
The Heathrow complex is the largest immigration removal centre in Europe, with a capacity of almost 1,000
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Overview

  • Government job ads listed tutors for floristry, cake decorating, balloon craft, hairdressing and painting, plus a gym manager, with pay ranging from about £31,585 to £38,873.
  • Home Office minister Seema Malhotra instructed officials to tell Mitie to remove roles deemed not necessary, but the department has not specified which posts will be withdrawn.
  • Several listings remained on the Find a Job portal after the order as the Home Office clarified guidance on which roles should be taken down.
  • Mitie says the activities are part of its contractual duties to support detainees’ physical and mental wellbeing and highlights HM Inspectorate of Prisons comments on their positive impact.
  • Health minister Stephen Kinnock described the adverts as an excessive interpretation of the contract, with ongoing debate over taxpayer value and welfare provision at the 965-capacity Harmondsworth–Colnbrook complex.