To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of inmates serving life sentences in prisons are not British nationals.

The requested information can be found in the attached spreadsheet.

The removal of Foreign National Offenders is a Government priority. We removed 16,676 foreign national offenders between January 2019 and 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 (3,577 compared to 3,011).

The Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) applies to foreign national offenders serving an indeterminate sentence. Section 32A of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 provides the Secretary of State the power to approve the removal of a prisoner for the purposes of deportation once the minimum tariff date has expired and without the Parole Board directing release. TERS does not affect the normal consideration or processes for deportation or removal. A prisoner is not released from their sentence and are liable to continue to serve the sentence if they return to the UK.

We have recently announced measures to further increase removals including the extension of the Early Removal Scheme window to 18 months; working closely with Home Office to facilitate timely removals and working with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to conclude bilateral Prison Transfer Agreements with specific countries.

Table (xlsx, 16.7KB)