Prisons

Questions whether individuals removed at the end of their sentence are prohibited from returning to the UK, seeking clarification on whether such individuals have paid their debt to society.

Acknowledges that foreign national offenders cost the taxpayer £500 million a year and questions if the proposed measures will ensure financial savings within the prison system, leading to more efficient operations.

Expresses concern over previous attempts by Opposition Members to obstruct deportation of dangerous criminals and asks what actions the Home Office can take to prevent such occurrences in the future.

Inquires about the specific criteria for duty to remove offenders with EU settled status who have been sentenced over a year, seeking clarity on whether these individuals would also be subject to deportation and barred from re-entry.

The Opposition will support the order because of the Government's failure in prison management, but criticises it as a half-baked measure. She highlights the lack of planning around prison population growth, pointing out that warnings about overcrowding were ignored. She also mentions past failures by Conservative Governments to deliver on promises regarding foreign national offenders and suggests Labour's plan for a returns unit and additional caseworkers. Concerned about victim protection, she asks if violent or sexual offenders will be released early due to the change.

Asked Ruth Cadbury why Labour had voted against measures to remove foreign national offenders at every stage when now they are supporting it. Implied that Labour's votes were responsible for the current problem of overcrowding.

The Government should remove foreign national offenders (FNOs) to ensure public safety and protect victims. The current measures will enable FNOs to be deported directly from prisons sooner, reducing the time before release point from 12 months to 18 months. This is important as those who remain in the UK pose a risk to safety.

The statutory instrument is sensible and logical given the high cost of housing foreign nationals in prisons. It helps manage the prison population efficiently while acknowledging the need for more prison space. This measure will allow for better use of existing facilities, which many constituents would support.

The statutory instrument is a modest but sensible approach to managing the prison population and ensuring public safety. It does not alter the requirement that prisoners should have served at least half their custodial sentence prior to release, maintaining the punitive aspect of sentencing while allowing for earlier deportation.

Reminds hon. Members of his interest in prison reform and supports the statutory instrument for alleviating pressure on prisons, particularly regarding foreign nationals. He asks the Minister to review agreements for prisoner transfer and seeks clarification on statistics related to women and youth custody.

Gratefully acknowledges contributions from various MPs and emphasises the importance of combining punishment with rehabilitation. He confirms that this measure does not alter minimum time in custody, addresses questions about Albania's partnership for prisoner transfer agreements, and stresses the need to keep victims at the heart of policy decisions. The Minister also highlights reductions in prison overcrowding since 2010 compared to Labour’s tenure and points out achievements such as tougher sentences and improved rehabilitation measures leading to a reduced reoffending rate.