Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released early under automatic release provisions have subsequently been reconvicted.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
Whilst this change provided the intended medium-term relief, it was only ever a temporary change to bridge to a more sustainable solution. The Sentencing Bill has now been introduced to ensure we never run out of prison space again.
Our initial operational insights suggested there was not a significant change to the use and application of recall since the implementation of SDS40. We will, however, continue to monitor this.
Proven reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many asylum seekers have been prosecuted for sexual offences in the last year; and what proportion were housed in government-funded accommodation at the time.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of defendants prosecuted for sexual offences. This can be obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.
However, data held centrally does not include if a defendant was an asylum seeker or where they were housed.
The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a priority of this Government, to reduce pressures on prison capacity and mitigate the associated expense to the taxpayer. This is why we are introducing new measures to enable the earlier removal of determinate sentenced FNOs as soon after sentencing as possible.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the deterrent effect of immediate deportation for foreign nationals convicted of criminal offences.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a priority of this Government, which is why we are introducing new measures to enable the earlier removal of determinate sentenced FNOs as soon after sentencing as possible.
Deportation is a significant punishment and it is beneficial for us to deport FNOs as quickly as possible to protect the public, reduce pressures on prison capacity and mitigate the associated expense to the taxpayer. Once removed they will be barred from ever returning.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost to the public purse was of providing legal aid to asylum seekers charged with criminal offences in the UK in the last year.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Expenditure data for asylum seekers across all legal aid schemes is not held centrally.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation services in the (i) courts and (ii) prison system in the last financial year.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has a statutory duty to provide Language Services to enable access to justice for users for whom English is not their first language and those who require visual and tactile services, under the provision of the Equality Act. Language Service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
In FY 2024/25, the spend in the courts was £33,073,280.44 on interpretation (spoken) and £136,879.03 on translation (written).
In FY 2024/25, the contracted spend in the prisons was £105,849.83 on interpretation (spoken) and £1,707,440.07 on translation (written).
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has received representations on the sentencing of Lucy Connolly.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Sentencing decisions in individual cases are entirely a matter for the independent judiciary, based on the facts of the case before them. It would not be appropriate for Government Ministers to comment on individual cases.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that criminal (a) prosecution and (b) sentencing is applied consistently.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Charging decisions are a matter for the independent Crown Prosecution Service and sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, based on the circumstances of individual cases.
Equality before the law is a fundamental principle of our justice system. This Government will protect and defend this.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the cost to the public purse of incarcerating foreign national offenders in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
We do not disaggregate prison running costs by nationality and the cost to hold individuals depends on the category of prison. Our unit costs for holding prisoners are published on GOV.UK alongside the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Report and Accounts. Data on the number of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in custody is published in Offender Management Statistics quarterly on GOV.UK.
This Government is deporting more foreign national offenders than the last Conservative Government. Between 5 July 2024 and 18 May 2025, 4,436 FNOs have been returned which is 14% more than the 3,879 in the same period 12 months prior. We are also investing £5 million to 82 new FNO Specialist roles in prisons to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her Department's policy to remove all foreign national offenders from UK prisons.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The removal of foreign national offenders (FNOs) is an important priority of this Government. FNOs who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced and, where appropriate, we will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation.
After sentencing, FNOs are considered for removal under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) subject to the Home Office issuing a deportation order. The ERS enables the removal of FNOs up to 18 months before the end of their custodial sentence. FNOs deported under the ERS are barred from returning to the UK.
Between 5 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, 2,925 FNOs have been returned from prison and the community - 21% more than the 2,422 in the same period under the previous Government, 12 months prior. This includes 1,557 ERS removals from prison - a 26% increase compared to the same period under the previous Government 12 months prior.
We have invested £5 million for 82 new FNO Specialist roles in prisons to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country. Staff will be in post by April 2025. We will also fast-track removals through a new returns and enforcement unit, with an additional 1,000 Home Office staff.