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Written Question
Poland: Type 31 Frigates
Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the blocks and modules for the Type 31 programme are being produced in Poland.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

There is no formal workshare arrangement in the Type 31 manufacture contract. Babcock has found it expedient to contract three Double Bottom units for Ship 2 to the PGZ shipyard in Gdynia, Poland. The assembly and integration of all the Type 31 ships will take place at Rosyth. It is normal practice to source components of warships from the global supply chain.

The contracting of three Double Bottom units to Poland is a matter for Babcock as the Prime Contractor and is recognised by the Ministry of Defence as a means to expedite the Type 31 build schedule and assist the Arrowhead frigate export campaign. This work represents less than 1% of the total value of programme build and is part of Babcock’s aim to maximise the knowledge exchange to benefit both the UK’s Type 31 and Poland’s Miecznik frigate programmes.


Written Question
Type 31 Frigates
Tuesday 2nd May 2023

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the workshare for the Type 31 programme is based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

There is no formal workshare arrangement in the Type 31 manufacture contract. Babcock has found it expedient to contract three Double Bottom units for Ship 2 to the PGZ shipyard in Gdynia, Poland. The assembly and integration of all the Type 31 ships will take place at Rosyth. It is normal practice to source components of warships from the global supply chain.

The contracting of three Double Bottom units to Poland is a matter for Babcock as the Prime Contractor and is recognised by the Ministry of Defence as a means to expedite the Type 31 build schedule and assist the Arrowhead frigate export campaign. This work represents less than 1% of the total value of programme build and is part of Babcock’s aim to maximise the knowledge exchange to benefit both the UK’s Type 31 and Poland’s Miecznik frigate programmes.


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
Thursday 30th March 2023

Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UK pensioners living overseas had their pensions suspended in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 due to (i) non-return and (ii) late return of life certificates, broken down by country of residence.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

DWP holds data relating to the late and non-return of a Life Certificate for the 2019 period, which resulted in the temporary suspension of a customer’s State Pension payments. In 2019, 26,206 claims were temporarily suspended, which is broken down by country as shown in the following table: -

Country

Number of State Pension claims temporarily suspended in 2019 due to the late or non-return of a completed Life Certificate

India

1,280

Uganda

65

Iceland

11

Costa Rica

24

Ukraine

21

Gambia

37

Jamaica

2,269

Nigeria

1,265

Venezuela

39

Sierra Leone

35

Dominican Republic

30

Ecuador

52

Greece

539

Bulgaria

256

Poland

116

Netherlands

624

Hong Kong

124

Fiji

4

Anguilla

9

Jordan

13

Montserrat

14

Malawi

4

Canada

15,798

Cook Islands

0

Norfolk Islands

3

Papua New Guinea

11

Western Samoa

2

Ascension Island

1

Lesotho

8

Dominica

277

South Korea

52

Oman

55

Lebanon

35

Romania

69

Peru

33

Serbia

63

Namibia

26

Libya

3

Tonga

4

Cape Verde Islands

5

Belarus

2

Bangladesh

473

Mauritius

125

Azerbaijan

4

Kazakhstan

2

Vietnam

74

Virgin Islands (British)

25

Estonia

10

Taiwan

19

Panama

36

Uruguay

19

Kuwait

28

Liechtenstein

6

Antilles (Netherlands)

11

St Kitts & Nevis

76

Switzerland

1,529

Brazil

164

Vanuatu

11

Bolivia

30

Cambodia

37

Nepal

26

Brunei

9

Bosnia Herzegovina

7

Ethiopia

14

Iran

14

Hungary

127

Swaziland

29

Russia

23

As a result of the outbreak of COVID in 2020, DWP suspended the Life Certificate exercise in March 2020, to ensure that our customers were not negatively impacted by any postal service issues which could have resulted in their State Pension payments being temporarily suspended. Therefore, DWP does not hold any data for this period.

DWP reintroduced the Life Certificate exercise in November 2021. Therefore, DWP does not hold any data for 2021, as any potential suspensions would be applied after 16 weeks of issue of the Life Certificate, which would mean that the suspension occurred in 2022.

The Management Information used has been taken from the same operational source data systems as our published administrative data. However, as this Management Information is not a recognised National or Official Statistic, it has not been subjected to the same level of Quality Assurance. As a result, these figures should be treated with caution.


Written Question
Poland: Typhoon Aircraft
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department had discussions with the Polish Government on the potential transfer of RAF Tranche 1 Typhoons to the Polish Air Force.

Answered by James Heappey

The UK welcomes Poland's announcement that it will provide MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine and we are looking at how best we can support them in this. However, there have been no discussions with the Polish Government on the transfer of RAF Tranche 1 Typhoons to Poland.


Written Question
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether any category of foreign national prisoners has access to (1) legal aid, or (2) any other public funding.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.


Written Question
Prisoners' Release: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners have been released under the (1) Early Removal Scheme (ERS), and (2) Tariff-Expired Removal Scheme (TERS).

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.


Written Question
Prisoner Escapes: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners have escaped custody in each of the last five years.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.


Written Question
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost of housing foreign national prisoners for each of the last five years.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.


Written Question
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals are currently held in prisons in England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.


Written Question
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Monday 27th March 2023

Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the top 10 countries from which foreign national prisoners originate.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As of 31 December 2022, there were 9,797 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) held in prisons in England and Wales, with the top ten origin countries being Albania, Poland, Romania, Ireland (Republic of), Lithuania, Jamaica, Pakistan, Somalia, Portugal, and Iraq.

We do not disaggregate prison run costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on category. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on Gov.uk alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Reports and Accounts.

Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) FNOs are removed from the UK, they are not released from their sentence and are liable to continue their sentence should they return to the UK. ERS applies to those serving determinate sentences, and TERS to those serving indeterminate sentences (Life or Imprisonment for Public Protection, which stopped being used in 2012).

Between January 2010 and June 2022, the Home Office removed 22,707 FNOs through ERS with 1,322 of those in the year ending June 2022. Since its implementation in May 2012, 571 FNOs have been removed through TERS. The disparity in numbers under the two schemes is due to there being significantly fewer FNOs with indeterminate sentences than determinate, and the need for the tariff to be expired before they can be removed.

The below table shows the number of FNOs who escaped from custody over the last 5 years. A prisoner escapes when they pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. All three from 2017-18 were recaptured within 30 days.

Year

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

Number of Foreign National Offenders escaped from custody

3

..*

..

..

..

* Figures of 1 and 2 are supressed

A Foreign National Offender may access legal aid if they satisfy the relevant eligibility criteria: their legal issue is in scope, as set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and they pass relevant means and merits tests. For immigration matters, all immigration detainees held in prison can access 30 minutes of legally aided legal advice. This provides a functional equivalent to the advice available to detainees held in immigration removal centres. Broader access to public funds would be based on the immigration status of an individual.

The Bill of Rights will strengthen the wider framework around appeals made on Article 8 grounds (the right to private and family life) by foreign criminals subject to deportation. Clause 8 of the Bill sets out how the courts should consider the compatibility of new deportation laws.

Clause 20 of the Bill of Rights establishes a threshold for successful appeals on Article 6 grounds. This new provision is intended to strengthen the existing approach in this area.