Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department tracks the locations of foreign national offenders following release.

Foreign national offenders (FNOs), if not detained under immigration powers, are released on licence at the conclusion of the custodial element of their sentence, under the supervision of the Probation Service.

They are subject to licence conditions to protect the public, reduce re-offending, and enable them to be supervised effectively in the community. These conditions can be varied during the licence period, if necessary, to reflect any change in level of risk.

The licence conditions include a requirement for FNOs to inform the Probation Service of their address and obtain prior approval for any change. The Probation Service liaises with the police during the address approval process, to ensure the address is suitable, and to safeguard the public. Any unauthorised change of address would constitute a breach of licence. Enforcement action may include recall to custody.

Where standard conditions are insufficient to manage risk, additional licence conditions may be imposed, such as restrictions on movement, contact, or residence, and the use of GPS tagging. GPS tagging is applied only where it is assessed as necessary and proportionate to the individual’s level of risk.

The Probation Service’s supervision of FNOs runs in parallel with any action on deportation being undertaken by the Home Office.