Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is provided to Prison Governors considering authorising the removal of foreign national offenders to assess the potential impact on public confidence in the Early Removal Scheme or the criminal justice system.

We do not collate information on how many cases are referred to the Chief Executive of HMPPS under the Early Removal Scheme or the outcome of such referrals.

Guidance to Prison Governors, and all those involved in administering the scheme including the Chief Executive, is contained in the Prison Service Instruction: The Early Removal Scheme and Release of Foreign National Prisoners (PSI 04/2013) which was last updated on 23 September 2025 and is available at the following link: Early removal scheme and release of foreign national prisoners.

This gives information on the circumstances where removal might undermine the Scheme or public confidence in the criminal justice system.