How many Irish nationals are held in prisons in Northern Ireland.

As of today, there are 107 prisoners who have declared themselves to be of Irish nationality—7 per cent. of the total prison population.

What steps is the Northern Ireland Office taking to return to their country of origin any Irish nationals, as well as nationals of other countries? There is growing concern across the United Kingdom about the number of foreign national prisoners held in British jails.

We of course have to be careful as we approach this issue because, as the hon. Gentleman will know, as a result of the Belfast agreement anybody born in Northern Ireland can declare themselves as Irish, British or both. He asks how many prisoners in the Northern Ireland system have a home address in the Republic of Ireland. That figure is 19. We will seek to deport people if it is ordered by the court or if the Secretary of State determines that it is in the public interest so to do. For other foreign national prisoners, of whom there are around 80 in the Northern Ireland system, we liaise closely with the Border and Immigration Agency, which takes the appropriate action when those prisoners are released.

Employment remains a crucial feature of keeping young people out of prison. What has my hon. Friend done to ensure that young people in prisons have access to workplace training placements?

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The Prison Service of Northern Ireland is absolutely committed to ensuring that we improve educational opportunities and training, so that when prisoners move back into the community they are able to access jobs, have a home to live in and play a purposeful and positive role in the community, rather than return to offending.