Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of only permitting deportation following a recommendation to do so by the courts.

We have an established process whereby all foreign national offenders sentenced to imprisonment are referred to Immigration Enforcement for deportation consideration, and a statutory duty under the UK Borders Act 2007 to deport any offender serving a custodial term of 12 months or more. Those falling outside that category may be considered liable to deportation under the Immigration Act 1971.