Dungavel Removal Centre

Letter to the Home Secretary, 18/07/2003

The Rt. Honourable David Blunkett, M.P.,

Home Secretary ,

Home Office,

50 Queen Anne’s Gate,

LONDON

SW1H 9AT.

18^th July 2003

 Dear Mr Blunkett,

I wish to express my sincere thanks for giving me an interview with you on Wednesday 16th July 2003 at the Home Office.

 It was good of you to afford me the opportunity of listening to my concerns and those whom I represented, regarding the Dungavel Family Unit in Scotland.

 There is a growing ground-swell of strong opinion that the existence of this unit shames our nation and must be shut down.

 We both had firm opinions and were able to express them. I feel we opened a channel of communication which I hope we can develop.

 I was gratified that you showed an openness to speeding up the present process of appeals so that children are not detained for any length of time in the existing detrimental conditions of Dungavel.

 Equally I was glad that you would welcome an alternative within existing legislation to keeping families together; always respecting the European Convention of Human Rights of the Child

 In gratitude

 With every kind wish 

 +John Mone

Bishop of Paisley

President of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, Scotland