Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the backlog in deportation cases.

As committed to in the Immigration White Paper (12 May 2025), the Government will shortly publish a formal Asylum Policy Statement setting out radical reforms to modernise the asylum system and strengthen border security. These proposals will include a new protection offer, accelerated decision-making, fast-track appeals and returns, as well as reforms to family rights and Article 8 claims.

Latest published information shows that at the end of Q2 2025 there were 19,390 foreign national offenders (FNOs) living in the community having completed their custodial sentences and subject to deportation.

The Home Office faces significant and complex challenges when seeking to return those who have no right to be in the UK to their country of origin or lawful place of return. Despite these barriers, we are fully committed to making our communities safer by deporting those who break our laws.

That is why are legislating to introduce a 24-week timeframe, this will speed up the appeals process for foreign criminals subject to ensuring that a fair hearing can take place.

This government has already removed 5,179 FNOs in its first year in office, a 14 per cent increase on the previous twelve months, and we will continue to ensure there is no hiding place for foreign criminals in our country.

The latest figures on the increase in returns can be found at: Returns from the UK between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025 - GOV.UK.