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Written Question
Diplomatic Service
Friday 19th April 2024

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many requests for consular support were made to each British Embassy or Consulate in 2023; and how many of those were responded to by officials within a period of 24 hours.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Our consular staff endeavour to give appropriate and tailored assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year, to British nationals overseas and their families in the UK who need support. In 2023, in addition to long running cases, we provided support to around 22,000 British nationals, see breakdown by Post in the table below. The FCDO reports publicly on consular delivery through the FCDO Outcome Delivery Plan [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-commonwealth-development-office-outcome-delivery-plan]. Publishing our transparency data is currently on hold while we embed a new Case Management system.

COUNTRY

2023

Afghanistan

22

Albania

63

Algeria

23

Angola

Argentina

34

Armenia

8

Australia

414

Austria

92

Azerbaijan

12

Bahrain

48

Barbados

113

Belarus

6

Belgium

152

Bolivia

12

Bosnia and Herzegovina

12

Botswana

15

Brazil

88

Bulgaria

166

Cambodia

112

Cameroon

30

Canada

181

Chile

21

China

143

Colombia

73

Congo (Democratic Republic)

22

Costa Rica

39

Croatia

114

Cuba

29

Cyprus

441

Czechia

141

Denmark

88

Dominican Republic

67

Ecuador

13

Egypt

383

Estonia

19

Ethiopia

104

Fiji

21

Finland

49

France

1027

Georgia

27

Germany

662

Ghana

85

Greece

936

Guatemala

43

Guinea

Guyana

17

Hong Kong SAR

110

Hungary

131

Iceland

17

India

360

Indonesia

196

Iraq

46

Ireland

104

Israel

39

Italy

411

Ivory Coast

Jamaica

179

Japan

167

Jerusalem

61

Jordan

71

Kazakhstan

14

Kenya

146

Kuwait

30

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

29

Latvia

20

Lebanon

34

Liberia

Lithuania

23

Luxembourg

10

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

138

Malta

106

Mauritius

14

Mexico

207

Moldova

13

Mongolia

6

Montenegro

33

Morocco

222

Myanmar (Burma)

8

Namibia

9

Nepal

21

Netherlands

287

New Zealand

127

Nigeria

74

Norway

149

Oman

50

Pakistan

376

Panama

17

Paraguay

Peru

58

Philippines

283

Poland

242

Portugal

524

Qatar

96

Romania

89

Russia

28

Rwanda

7

Saudi Arabia

166

Senegal

21

Serbia

29

Seychelles

11

Sierra Leone

15

Singapore

105

Slovakia

38

Slovenia

17

South Africa

195

South Korea

40

Spain

4143

Sri Lanka

86

St Lucia

21

Sudan

34

Sweden

110

Switzerland

157

Taiwan

22

Tajikistan

6

Tanzania

36

Thailand

1383

The Gambia

48

Trinidad and Tobago

40

Tunisia

75

Turkey

947

Uganda

52

Ukraine

56

United Arab Emirates

658

United States

1649

Uruguay

10

Uzbekistan

8

Venezuela

Vietnam

188

Zambia

22

Zimbabwe

26

NB We do not publish data where figures are 5 or below to comply with GDPR


Written Question
Prisoners: Repatriation
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders were removed from the country through a prison transfer agreement each year since 2010; and if he will list which countries were they removed to.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Any foreign national who is convicted of a crime and given a prison sentence is considered for deportation at the earliest opportunity. Where appropriate, the Government will also seek to permanently remove foreign criminals from the UK via the Early Removal Scheme once they have served the minimum required of their sentence. This is our best performing removal scheme with 5,262 Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) having been removed between January 2019 and June 2022.

The Home Office removed 16,676 foreign national offenders since January 2019 to 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.

Our new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania entered into force in May 2023 and we have signed a new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with the Philippines. We are looking to negotiate new Prisoner Transfer Agreements with key EU Member States and wider-world countries

Foreign national offender removals via Prisoner Transfer Agreements since 2010:

Year:

Removals:

2010

46

2011

33

2012

41

2013

44

2014

34

2015

57

2016

99

2017

107

2018

111

2019

136

2020

81

2021

73

2022

50

2023

33

Countries or Territories we have removed foreign national offenders to via Prisoner Transfer Agreements since 2010:

Albania

Denmark

Latvia

Slovakia

Austria

Ecuador

Lithuania

Slovenia

Belgium

Estonia

Macedonia

Spain

Bermuda

France

Malta

Sri Lanka

Bolivia

Germany

Montenegro

St Helena

Brazil

Ghana

Netherlands

Sweden

Bulgaria

Gibraltar

Nigeria

Switzerland

Canada

Greece

Norway

Turkey

Cayman

Hungary

Pakistan

Ukraine

Chile

India

Poland

Vietnam

Croatia

Ireland

Portugal

Iraq

Cyprus

Israel

Romania

Czech Republic

Italy

Saudi


Written Question
Chevening Scholarships Programme
Friday 8th September 2023

Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Chevening scholarships have been awarded to each country for awarded for the 2023-24 academic year.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

Chevening operates in over 160 countries and territories. For the 2023-24 academic year, our budget of £57.7 million Official Development Assistance (ODA), £1.6 million non-ODA funding, and additional income of around £13.2 million from tuition fee-waivers and external partners allowed us to offer 1440 awards of which 1383 were from ODA funding and 57 from non-ODA funding. Attached is a table indicating numbers from each eligible country. For countries where we offered fewer than five places we withhold the exact number as this would contravene one of the data protection principles. In this case, Sections 40(2) and 40 (3A)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act apply.

ODACountryAwards made (incl. full/part partner funded awards)
ODAAFGHANISTAN22
ODAALBANIA11
ODAALGERIA7
ODAANGOLA / SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE15
ODAARGENTINA15
ODAARMENIA5
ODAAZERBAIJAN7
ODABANGLADESH21
ODABELARUS7
ODABELIZEFewer than 5
ODABHUTAN5
ODABOLIVIA6
ODABOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA6
ODABOTSWANA5
ODABRAZIL46
ODABURUNDIFewer than 5
ODACAMBODIA14
ODACAMEROON / CHAD / EQUATORIAL GUINEA / GABON8
ODACHINA33
ODACOLOMBIA14
ODACONGO, The Democratic Republic Of The/Central African Republic/Republic of CongoFewer than 5
ODACOSTA RICA / NICARAGUA6
ODACOTE D'IVOIRE7
ODACUBA8
ODADJIBOUTIFewer than 5
ODADOMINICAN REPUBLIC/HAITI13
ODAEAST CARIBBEAN ODA (GRENADA, ST LUCIA, DOMINICA, ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA)11
ODAEAST TIMORFewer than 5
ODAECUADOR6
ODAEGYPT30
ODAEL SALVADORFewer than 5
ODAERITREAFewer than 5
ODAEswatiniFewer than 5
ODAETHIOPIA13
ODAGAMBIA5
ODAGEORGIA/South Caucasus14
ODAGHANA / BENIN / TOGO /BURKINA FASO16
ODAGUATEMALA / HONDURAS5
ODAGUINEAFewer than 5
ODAGUYANA / SURINAME5
ODAINDIA38
ODAINDONESIA43
ODAIRAQ18
ODAJAMAICA13
ODAJORDAN8
ODAKAZAKHSTAN9
ODAKENYA33
ODAKOSOVO8
ODAKYRGYZ REPUBLICFewer than 5
ODALAOS13
ODALEBANON10
ODALESOTHO6
ODALIBERIAFewer than 5
ODALIBYA10
ODAMADAGASCAR/COMOROS8
ODAMALAWI6
ODAMALAYSIA41
ODAMALDIVES7
ODAMALIFewer than 5
ODAMAURITANIA5
ODAMAURITIUS7
ODAMEXICO34
ODAMOLDOVA6
ODAMONGOLIA17
ODAMONTENEGRO7
ODAMOROCCO11
ODAMOZAMBIQUE15
ODAMYANMAR11
ODANAMIBIA14
ODANEPAL11
ODANIGERFewer than 5
ODANIGERIA39
ODANORTH MACEDONIA6
ODAOVERSEAS TERRITORIES12
ODAPACIFIC POOL32
ODAPAKISTAN (DOES NOT INCLUDE FELLOWS)46
ODAPALESTINIAN TERRITORIES11
ODAPANAMA5
ODAPARAGUAY17
ODAPERU11
ODAPHILIPPINES23
ODARWANDA8
ODASAMOA + COOK ISLANDSFewer than 5
ODASENEGAL / CAPE VERDE /GUINEA-BISSAU8
ODASERBIA7
ODASIERRA LEONE6
ODASOMALIA17
ODASOUTH AFRICA47
ODASOUTH SUDAN6
ODASRI LANKA10
ODASUDAN14
ODASYRIA15
ODATAJIKISTANFewer than 5
ODATANZANIA17
ODATHAILAND24
ODATUNISIA6
ODATURKEY20
ODATURKMENISTAN6
ODAUGANDA21
ODAUKRAINE37
ODAUZBEKISTAN7
ODAVENEZUELA7
ODAVIETNAM23
ODAYEMEN9
ODAZAMBIA11
ODAZIMBABWE7
Non-ODAAUSTRALIAFewer than 5
Non-ODABAHAMASFewer than 5
Non-ODABARBADOS (+ ST KITTS AND NEVIS)Fewer than 5
Non-ODABRUNEIFewer than 5
Non-ODACANADAFewer than 5
Non-ODACHILEFewer than 5
Non-ODAHONG KONGFewer than 5
Non-ODAICELANDFewer than 5
Non-ODAISRAELFewer than 5
Non-ODAJAPANFewer than 5
Non-ODANEW ZEALANDFewer than 5
Non-ODASEYCHELLESFewer than 5
Non-ODASINGAPORE5
Non-ODASOUTH KOREAFewer than 5
Non-ODATAIWAN5
Non-ODATRINIDAD AND TOBAGOFewer than 5
Non-ODAURUGUAY10
1350

Written Question
Trade Promotion
Monday 7th August 2023

Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government who are the Trade Envoys; to which country each Trade Envoy has been assigned; and what is the party affiliation of each Trade Envoy and the length of time in post.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

There are currently 36 Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys and information as below.

Country

Trade Envoy

Date of PM Appointment

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN

Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina

Mark Menzies MP (Con)

September 2016 & September 2017 for Argentina

Panama, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica

Baroness Hooper of Liverpool (Con)

October 2020

Brazil

Marco Longhi MP (Con)

August 2021

AFRICA

Algeria

Lord Risby of Haverhill (Con)

November 2012

Uganda & Rwanda (watching brief for DRC)

Lord Popat (Con)

January 2016

Egypt and Cameroon

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP (DUP)

January 2016 & August 2021 for Cameroon

Nigeria

Helen Grant MP (Con)

October 2020

Kenya

Theo Clarke MP (Con)

Reappointed May 2023

South Africa & Mauritius

Andrew Selous MP(Con)

September 2017 & January 2023 for Mauritius

Tanzania

Lord Walney (Non-Affiliated)

August 2021

Ghana

Baroness Hoey (Non-Affiliated)

August 2021

Tunisia & Libya

Yvonne Fovargue MP (Lab)

March 2022

Angola, Zambia & Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson MP (Con)

Reappointed March 2023

MIDDLE EAST

Israel

Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated)

October 2020

Iran

Lord Lamont of Lerwick (Con)

January 2016

Lebanon

Lord Risby of Haverhill (Con)

August 2019

Iraq

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)

January 2014

Jordan, Kuwait & Palestine Territories

Baroness Morris of Bolton (Con)

November 2012

UAE

Gareth Thompson MP (Con)

March 2023


EECAN

Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)

April 2016 & Kazakhstan July 2017

Mongolia

Daniel Kawczynski MP (Con)

October 2020

Ukraine

Baroness Meyer (Con)

October 2020

Turkey

Lord Hutton (Lab)

May 2022

EUROPE

Switzerland & Liechtenstein

Sir Stephen Timms MP (Lab)

August 2021

Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia)

Martin Vickers MP (Con)

October 2020

APAC

Australia

Lord Botham (Crossbench)

August 2021

Taiwan

Lord Faulkner (Lab)

January 2016

Japan

Greg Clark MP (Con)

May 2022

Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei & Vietnam

Mark Garnier MP (Con)

October 2020 & for Vietnam January 2023

Singapore

Lord Sarfraz (Con)

January 2022

Republic of Korea

Sir John Whittingdale (Con)

May 2022

Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines & ASEAN

Richard Graham MP (Con)

Reappointed March 2023

Cambodia & Laos

Heather Wheeler MP (Con)

Reappointed March 2023

New Zealand

David Mundell MP (Con)

Reappointed March 2023

SOUTH ASIA

Bangladesh

Rushanara Ali MP (Lab)

March 2016

Sri Lanka

Lord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch (Crossbench)

October 2020

North America

Canada

Dame Maria Miller MP (Con)

May 2022

USA (specific focus on driving trade promotion with existing MOU states)

Sir Conor Burns MP (Con)

May 2023


Written Question
State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average amount of state pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK is; and if he will provide a breakdown of the average state pension payment in each country in which recipients reside.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

In November 2020, the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK was £70.61 per week.

Table 1. Average Amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, November 2020

Residency

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Outside United Kingdom

£ 70.61

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)

Below is a table of the average (mean) amount of State Pension paid to individuals who live outside the UK, broken down by country of residence, in November 2020.

Table 2. Average Amount of State Pension by Country of Residence, November 2020

Country of Residence

Mean Weekly State Pension Amount

Abroad - Not known

£ 112.62

Albania

£ 110.57

Alderney

£ 126.99

Algeria

£ 62.41

Andorra

£ 94.96

Anguilla

£ 64.93

Antigua

£ 74.02

Argentina

£ 65.18

Aruba

£ 60.29

Ascension Island

£ 91.68

Australia

£ 50.09

Austria

£ 49.24

Azerbaijan

£ 166.77

Bahamas

£ 66.64

Bahrain

£ 97.27

Bangladesh

£ 39.49

Barbados

£ 116.97

Belarus

£ 111.17

Belgium

£ 63.62

Belize

£ 85.01

Bermuda

£ 81.36

Bolivia

£ 106.19

Bosnia and Herzegovina

£ 73.12

Botswana

£ 75.98

Brazil

£ 81.20

Brunei

£ 121.78

Bulgaria

£ 122.47

Burkina Faso

£ 54.09

Cambodia

£ 119.76

Cameroon

£ 58.81

Canada

£ 46.34

Cape Verde

£ 52.18

Cayman Islands

£ 89.42

Chile

£ 72.13

China

£ 96.39

Colombia

£ 89.09

Cook Islands

£ 57.92

Costa Rica

£ 81.75

Cyprus

£ 122.54

Denmark

£ 58.40

Dom Commonwealth (Dominica)

£ 77.73

Dominican Republic

£ 107.52

Dutch Caribbean

£ 67.76

Ecuador

£ 85.95

Egypt

£ 78.64

El Salvador

£ 80.36

Equatorial Guinea

£ 142.11

Ethiopia

£ 88.34

Falkland Islands and Dependencies

£ 85.64

Faroe Islands

£ 33.01

Fiji

£ 73.66

Finland

£ 58.89

France

£ 113.52

French Overseas Departments

£ 84.34

French Polynesia

£ 55.84

Gambia

£ 91.46

Germany

£ 46.48

Ghana

£ 56.69

Gibraltar

£ 100.77

Greece

£ 109.44

Greenland

£ 23.21

Grenada

£ 77.33

Guam

£ 83.49

Guatemala

£ 77.73

Guernsey

£ 84.86

Guyana

£ 60.60

Honduras

£ 79.02

Hong Kong

£ 85.42

Hungary

£ 102.32

Iceland

£ 71.68

India

£ 50.10

Indonesia

£ 106.53

Iran

£ 70.85

Iraq

£ 64.11

Ireland

£ 66.41

Isle of Man

£ 127.85

Israel

£ 101.27

Italy

£ 56.79

Jamaica

£ 116.05

Japan

£ 46.97

Jersey

£ 70.02

Jordan

£ 67.90

Kazakhstan

£ 124.13

Kenya

£ 79.34

Kuwait

£ 103.54

Kyrgyzstan

£ 76.07

Laos

£ 100.66

Lebanon

£ 88.20

Lesotho

£ 59.64

Liechtenstein

£ 28.62

Luxembourg

£ 83.34

Macau

£ 77.52

Madagascar

£ 62.23

Malawi

£ 71.90

Malaysia

£ 77.87

Malta

£ 104.22

Mauritius

£ 108.25

Mexico

£ 74.98

Moldova

£ 124.94

Monaco

£ 111.96

Montserrat

£ 65.67

Morocco

£ 75.51

Mozambique

£ 74.56

Myanmar

£ 84.84

Namibia

£ 70.17

Nepal

£ 63.99

Netherlands

£ 55.81

Nevis, St Kitts-Nevis

£ 75.56

New Caledonia

£ 79.61

New Zealand

£ 46.44

Nicaragua

£ 79.72

Nigeria

£ 27.65

Norfolk Island

£ 55.18

North Macedonia

£ 24.20

Norway

£ 58.24

Oman

£ 89.53

Pakistan

£ 48.74

Panama

£ 96.96

Papua New Guinea

£ 75.49

Paraguay

£ 68.41

Peru

£ 88.02

Philippines

£ 138.86

Poland

£ 59.39

Portugal

£ 119.47

Puerto Rico

£ 77.32

Qatar

£ 113.55

Republic of Croatia

£ 62.10

Republic of Estonia

£ 78.98

Republic of Georgia

£ 129.54

Republic of Latvia

£ 68.34

Republic of Lithuania

£ 42.71

Republic of Slovenia

£ 60.38

Romania

£ 99.40

Russia

£ 85.51

Saint Helena & Dependencies

£ 89.27

San Marino

£ 29.33

Sark

£ 117.68

Saudi Arabia

£ 86.88

Senegal

£ 74.13

Serbia

£ 123.58

Seychelles

£ 79.10

Sierra Leone

£ 52.66

Singapore

£ 89.20

Solomon Islands

£ 79.08

Somalia

£ 44.20

South Africa

£ 56.52

South Korea

£ 41.69

Spain

£ 120.61

Sri Lanka

£ 59.98

St Lucia

£ 76.63

St Vincent & Grenadines

£ 80.10

State Union of Serbia and Montenegro

£ 53.44

Sudan

£ 71.27

Suriname

£ 151.95

Swaziland

£ 79.26

Sweden

£ 57.52

Switzerland

£ 51.98

Syria

£ 63.61

Tahiti

£ 77.00

Taiwan

£ 105.85

Tanzania

£ 87.61

Thailand

£ 119.10

The Czech Republic

£ 92.30

The Slovak Republic

£ 49.82

Togo

£ 50.10

Tonga

£ 73.36

Tours (Individuals on Tour)

£ 133.34

Trinidad & Tobago

£ 55.37

Tunisia

£ 88.16

Turkey

£ 132.24

Turks and Caicos Islands

£ 118.32

Uganda

£ 88.33

Ukraine

£ 115.86

United Arab Emirates

£ 107.46

United States

£ 74.19

United States Minor Outlying Islands

£ 75.89

Uruguay

£ 77.74

Vanuatu

£ 85.86

Venezuela

£ 67.62

Vietnam

£ 125.09

Virgin Islands (British)

£ 91.77

Virgin Islands (USA)

£ 72.74

Western Samoa

£ 34.12

Yemen

£ 42.90

Zambia

£ 75.67

Zimbabwe

£ 48.98

Source: Stat-Xplore - Home (dwp.gov.uk)


Written Question
Asylum
Monday 3rd April 2023

Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the legal methods for refugees who are citizens of Somalia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar or the Democratic Republic of the Congo to apply for asylum in the UK when they are (1) living in the country of their citizenship, (2) living in a safe third country, or (3) living in an unsafe third country.

Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth

Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might like to come here. Asylum is for people in danger in their home country. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.

Between 2015 and December 2022, just under half a million people were offered safe and legal routes into the UK– including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine as well as family members of refugees.

This includes over 28,200 refugees resettled through the government’s refugee resettlement schemes. Our family reunion policy has also reunited many refugees with their family members; we have issued over 44,659 visas under our refugee family reunion Rules since 2015. The UK is one of the largest recipients of UNHCR referred refugees globally, second only to Sweden in Europe since 2015.

The UK continues to welcome refugees and people in need through existing resettlement schemes which include the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Further information on existing safe and legal routes is available below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-and-borders-bill-safe-and-legal-routes-factsheet/nationality-and-borders-bill-factsheet-safe-and-legal-routes.


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.