Detainees

(asked on 10th October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK citizens are currently held in prisons in England and Wales (1) in detention without charge, and (2) without a date set for trial; and how many non-UK EU citizens are similarly detained.


Answered by
Baroness Vere of Norbiton Portrait
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 20th October 2017

UK citizens are not normally detained in prison without charge. The number of UK citizens on remand awaiting trial as of 30 June 2017 was 5,242. It is not possible to state the numbers of these individuals who do not have a date set for trial because this data is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Individuals who are subject to extradition for charges brought by other jurisdictions can be held in prison pending extradition. As at 30 June 2017, the number of people in prison pending extradition was 105, of which 84 were non-UK EU nationals.

Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) who have served a sentence may continue to be held in prison beyond their sentence end date under immigration powers pending removal from the United Kingdom. As at 30 June 2017, the number of FNOs held in prison under immigration powers was 448 (including 122 non-UK EU nationals).

The Government is absolutely committed to increasing the number of FNOs removed from our prisons, and any foreign national who comes to our country and is sentenced to prison should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them. Increasing removals is one of our top priorities and all FNOs sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office at the earliest opportunity to be considered for deportation.

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