Local MP misled by Home Office on foreign prisoners

1.37.27pm GMT Wed 26th Apr 2006

Annette Brooke MP, who spent three years on the Liberal Democrat's Home Affairs team (2001-2004), will today question the Home Secretary on the misleading response to a Parliamentary Question she asked in 2004 on procedures to deport foreign nationals at the end of their prison sentence.

Beverley Hughes, formerly the Minister for Immigration and Nationality before resigning in April 2004 following visa scams in Eastern Europe, provided a detailed response to Mrs. Brooke's question on the deportation of foreign prisoners which now appears to be inaccurate.

Yesterday, the Home Office announced that since 1999, 1, 023 foreigners were released into the community once completing their prison sentence without being considered for deportation clearly shows that the procedures outlined in Beverley Hughes' Parliamentary Answer were not being carried out.

The question below asked by Annette Brooke in 2004 should have been a reminder to the Home Office that closer cooperation between the Home Office, Prison Service and Immigration and Nationalities Inspectorate and alerted them to the need to pay more attention to this issue. We now learn that this is not the case at all.

Prisons (Foreign Nationals) - 26 January 2004

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to ensure that the Immigration Service (a) monitors the sentences of foreign national prisoners, with particular reference to those liable to deportation and (b) takes action to ensure repatriation or deportation takes place as soon as a prisoner's sentence has expired. [151082]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer]: HM prisons are instructed to notify the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of all foreign nationals sentenced to a term of imprisonment, together with their release dates once calculated.

IND then considers whether a person should be deported or removed and it is our aim, wherever possible, to remove such persons in line with their release from custody.

There are, however, reasons why this may not happen in a particular case. These may include such factors as the need to consider an appeal or application for leave to remain, the non-availability of travel document, difficulties with travel arrangements or other matters which have to be considered or addressed before the deportation or removal can be effected.

IND and the Prison Service work closely together and with individual inmates to keep any delays in effecting removal to a minimum.

ENDS