Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Foreign National Offenders

Tuesday 12 September 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial steps include working closely with Cabinet colleagues to remove foreign national offenders from the country.
  • Between January 2019 and December 2022, 13,851 foreign national offenders were removed.
  • The FNO early removal scheme window was expanded from nine to twelve months under the Nationality and Borders Act.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Immigration Justice & Courts
Context

The number of foreign national offenders is a concern, with reports suggesting inadequate measures to remove them from the UK.

Question

What steps are being taken with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the number of foreign national offenders in the prison system?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Between January 2019 and December 2022, we removed 13,851 foreign national offenders from the country. This involves close working with colleagues, including in the Home Office.

Answered
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Q2 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Immigration
Context

The effectiveness and speed of removal of foreign national offenders under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 have been questioned.

Question

Could my right hon. Friend comment on how the FNO early removal scheme is working, its expected impact on numbers, and how it aims to speed up the process?

Answer from Damian Hinds

Under the Nationality and Borders Act, we expanded the FNO early removal scheme window from nine months to 12 months. We are working closely with the Home Office on this. In May, a landmark new deal was agreed with Albania and negotiations continue for prisoner transfer agreements with EU member states.

Answered
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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Justice & Courts Northern Ireland
Context

Reports suggest a high proportion of non-UK and non-Irish citizens among the prison population in Northern Ireland, raising concerns about the effectiveness of removal policies.

Question

Has the Minister had an opportunity to assess with the Department of Justice the issue that the proportion of foreign nationals in Northern Ireland's total jail population is disproportionately high at 7% to 9% annually?

Answer from Damian Hinds

As the hon. Gentleman knows, given our organisational structure, we do not cover the Northern Ireland Prison Service. However, it is important to stay in close touch with colleagues there and opportunities for such conversations will arise in the future.

Not addressed: The high percentage of foreign nationals in Northern Ireland's jail population

How: We Do Not Cover The Northern Ireland Prison Service

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