Prisoners' Transfers: Albania

Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 4 September 2023.

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Photo of Matthew Offord Matthew Offord Conservative, Hendon

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the prisoner transfer agreement with Albania.

Photo of Damian Hinds Damian Hinds The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

A new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania came into force in May 2022. In May 2023, we announced a complementary arrangement whereby the UK Government has agreed to provide support to modernise and expand the Albanian prison system and in return Albania has agreed to accept the return of up to 200 Albanian Nationals currently serving sentences of 4 years or more in the UK. The arrangement will save taxpayers’ money, as it is cheaper to house prisoners in Albania than in England and Wales and will also free up capacity in our prisons.

The deal builds on the prisoner transfer agreement signed between the UK and Albania in 2021, which came into force in May 2022. This implementation package will ensure Albania has the right processes and prison capacity in place, meaning transfers can now proceed at pace.

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