Firm told to scrap floristry and gym tutor roles at detention centre

"The government has told a contractor to remove jobs from a recruitment website, after it emerged there were plans to hire floristry and hairdressing tutors for detainees at an immigration removal centre near Heathrow airport. Adverts for the jobs, first reported by the Sun newspaper, included a "hospitality and floristry tutor", who was to teach skills including cake decorating and ballooncraft."

"Home Office minister Seema Malhotra has instructed the contractor, Mitie, to remove the jobs - some of which had annual salaries of nearly 39,000. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour were "pouring taxpayers' money into perks when every effort should be on deportations". Philp added: "Hiring gym managers and ballooncraft tutors for people who must be deported is indefensible and must be stopped immediately.""

"Mitie manages the Heathrow immigration removal centre (IRC), which is comprised of both the Colnbrook and Harmondsworth facilities, located next to the UK's busiest airport. Combined, the facilities have a capacity of 965 residents, making it the largest immigration removal centre in Europe, according to Mitie. Mitie aims "to treat those in our care with dignity, decency, and respect", adding that it works a "high risk, high profile and heavily regulated environment"."

Adverts appeared for roles at the Heathrow immigration removal centre, including a hospitality and floristry tutor to teach cake decorating and ballooncraft and a gym manager with an advertised salary of £38,873. Home Office minister Seema Malhotra instructed contractor Mitie to remove some advertised jobs after concerns about necessity and costs. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the hiring as misusing taxpayers' money and called the roles indefensible. Mitie manages Colnbrook and Harmondsworth, with a combined capacity of 965 residents, and said it aims to treat those in its care with dignity, decency and respect. Several roles remained visible on the government's Find a Job website.

Read at www.bbc.com