Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safety of people in Pakistan who (a) have previously had an application to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme rejected and (b) are waiting for their application to be reconsidered.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK Government has had constructive and ongoing conversations with the Government of Pakistan to take steps to prevent the deportation Afghans eligible for UK resettlement schemes from Pakistan.
I have instructed MOD officials to raise awareness of this issue with the Pakistani authorities so that protection from deportation can be extended to those individuals within scope of the forthcoming reassessment of decisions taken on ineligible applications from former members of Afghan specialist units.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 193669 on Offenders: Deportation, what information her Department holds on the number of applications for the Facilitated Return Scheme (a) that were considered and (b) for which a decision was taken by her Department within 20 days of submission of that application in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Information on the number of applications for the Facilitated Return Scheme that are (a) considered and (b) decided within 20 days is not available from published statistics.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the debate entitled Situation of the children of Ukraine held at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2024.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We strongly condemn the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine. The UK welcomes the Council of Europe's role in highlighting this issue and supports the Reykjavik Declaration on the situation of the children of Ukraine. We continue to call on Russia to cease forced transfers, allow unhindered, immediate and safe access for humanitarian organisations. They must facilitate the safe return of children to Ukraine, in line with Russia's obligations under international law.
We are a participant in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children. In June 2022, the UK also sanctioned Putin's so-called "Commissioner for Children's Rights" Maria Lvova-Belova, for her alleged involvement in the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children.
Found: (2) Any person who is convicted of an offence under section 1 shall be subject to a deportation
Mentions:
1: Damian Hinds (Con - East Hampshire) I beg to move,That the draft Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Removal of Prisoners for Deportation) Order - Speech Link
2: Louie French (Con - Old Bexley and Sidcup) Friend share my concern that Opposition Members have previously tried to block the deportation of dangerous - Speech Link
3: James Wild (Con - North West Norfolk) I think the Minister said that offenders sentenced to over a year would be considered for deportation - Speech Link
4: Priti Patel (Con - Witham) When an offender is convicted and given a custodial sentence, it is a high bar to qualify for deportation - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Luke Pollard (LAB - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) Around 200 Triples face imminent deportation from Pakistan to Afghanistan, and at least six members of - Speech Link
2: James Heappey (Con - Wells) Pakistan to those who are included within the review, so that they can enjoy the same protection from deportation - Speech Link
3: James Heappey (Con - Wells) have been able to tell them that people are part of our scheme, those people have been protected from deportation - Speech Link
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of inmates serving life sentences in prisons are not British nationals.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet.
The removal of Foreign National Offenders is a Government priority. We removed 16,676 foreign national offenders between January 2019 and September 2023. Published figures show that FNO returns have increased in the latest 12-month period (ending September 2023) by 19% when compared to previous 12-month period (3,577 compared to 3,011).
The Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) applies to foreign national offenders serving an indeterminate sentence. Section 32A of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 provides the Secretary of State the power to approve the removal of a prisoner for the purposes of deportation once the minimum tariff date has expired and without the Parole Board directing release. TERS does not affect the normal consideration or processes for deportation or removal. A prisoner is not released from their sentence and are liable to continue to serve the sentence if they return to the UK.
We have recently announced measures to further increase removals including the extension of the Early Removal Scheme window to 18 months; working closely with Home Office to facilitate timely removals and working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to conclude bilateral Prison Transfer Agreements with specific countries.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a breakdown of offences committed by foreign nationals held in the prison estate.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet.
The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority and my department continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.
Published figures show that FNO returns have increased following the pandemic, in the latest 12-month period (ending December 2023) by 27% when compared to the previous 12-month period. Between January 2019 and December 2023 17,795 FNOs have been removed.
The proportion of FNOs held in custody is 12% of the total prison population and has remained stable in recent years while the overall prison population has grown.
On 11 March, the Government set out a plan to increase the number of FNOs removed through:
These actions build on our expansion of the Early Removal Scheme to allow for removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of the custodial element of their sentence, and expediting prisoner transfers with priority countries such as Albania and seeking to conclude new transfer agreements with partner countries.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department decides when to action deportation orders to remove foreign criminals from the UK.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more.
In addition, a foreign national who has been convicted of an offence that has caused serious harm, who is a persistent offender or who represents a threat to national security may be considered for deportation under the Immigration Act 1971, where it is conducive to the public good.
This is subject to several exceptions, including where to do so would be a breach of a person’s ECHR rights or the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.