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.

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.