Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders were (a) in prison and (b) living in the UK in the latest period for which data is available.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information which includes the number of foreign national offenders (FNOs), in the Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK release, within the latest release of which covers the period up to 31 December 2024 data release.

The Home Office publishes the number of FNOs subject to deportation and living in the community within its Immigration Enforcement quarterly transparency release. The latest release can be found at: Immigration Enforcement data: Q4 2024 - GOV.UK.

The Home Office works tirelessly to clear legal barriers, secure documentation or overcome other impediments to a return, and between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, there were 2,925 enforced and voluntary returns of FNOs. This is an increase of 21% compared to 2,422 FNO returns in the same period 12 months prior.

The Home Office continues to work closely with HMPPS (HM Prisons and Probation Service) to focus on driving up the returns of FNOs direct from prison, delivering 1,557 early removal scheme (ERS) returns, which is a 26% increase compared to 1,231 in the same period 12 months prior.