This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27147465

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Deport foreign prisoners more quickly, say MPs Foreign prisoner deportation 'should be sped up'
(about 5 hours later)
Foreign prisoners are not being deported quickly enough to help cut costs and relieve overcrowding, a group of MPs has warned. Foreign inmates are not being deported quickly enough to help cut costs and relieve overcrowding, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said.
The Public Accounts Committee also said more should be done to prepare UK inmates for early release. The Commons' committee also said more should be done to prepare UK prisoners for early release.
It urged the National Offender Management Service to look at its standards as a "matter of urgency". It urged the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to look at its standards as a "matter of urgency".
The government said it was cutting the number of foreign prisoners and this would remain a "top priority".The government said it was cutting the number of foreign prisoners and this would remain a "top priority".
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which manages 116 public prisons in England and Wales and the contracts of 14 private prisons, is responsible for a prisoner population of about 84,000. NOMS, which manages 116 public prisons in England and Wales and the contracts of 14 private prisons, is responsible for a prisoner population of about 84,000.
It is having to make cuts of £650m to its £3.4bn budget by 2015. 'Quite shocking'
The committee praised "significant savings in running costs", estimated to be worth £70m a year by 2015-16. But Labour MP and chair of the PAC Margaret Hodge said its record on reducing the number of foreign national prisoners was "frustratingly poor".
The cuts strategy had been "well managed" with "experienced and consistent leadership", acknowledged Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee. "It's quite shocking that the people responsible just can't get a grip of the backlog and deal with this big bulk of people in our prisons," she told BBC Breakfast.
To achieve this, NOMS had focused on closing small costly prisons and building new accommodation which was cheaper to run. "Just deport those people who've chosen to come and live here, who've committed a crime which commits them to prison and who should therefore lose the right to come here."
'Frustratingly poor' The PAC report said that about 1,000 foreign national offenders were deported per quarter - roughly the same as the number of foreign nationals convicted in the same period.
But Mrs Hodge criticised its record on reducing the number of foreign national prisoners as being "frustratingly poor".
The report said that about 1,000 foreign national offenders were deported per quarter - roughly the same as the number of foreign nationals convicted in the same period.
This meant the overall number of foreign nationals in the UK's prisons remained around 11,000 - or 13% of the total prison population. They cost around £300m a year, according to the committee.This meant the overall number of foreign nationals in the UK's prisons remained around 11,000 - or 13% of the total prison population. They cost around £300m a year, according to the committee.
The report recommended that the agency should work with the Home Office to identify and remove barriers to removing foreign offenders. The report recommended that NOMS work with the Home Office to identify and remove barriers to removing foreign offenders.
Changes such as the ratification of prisoner transfer arrangements across Europe could provide an opportunity to remove foreign criminals more efficiently, it suggested. Changes, such as the ratification of prisoner transfer arrangements across Europe, could provide an opportunity to remove foreign criminals more efficiently, it suggested.
In response, Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said: "The foreign national prisoner population is lower than it was in 2010 and reducing it further is a top priority for this government. We are working hard to reduce the numbers in our prison system - in 2012 alone we deported more than 4,500 foreign criminals from the UK. The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, said lots of foreign prisoners would rather be returned and the failure to deport them was a missed opportunity.
"Under this government we have made it a priority to establish compulsory prisoner transfer agreements. We have also increased the numbers removed through the Early Removal Scheme and the introduction of the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme. We are also working closely with the Home Office to ensure removal processes are as efficient as possible." "There are some quick wins," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "Prisoners who should go back, who want to go back, whose countries would not have a problem about having them back - and yet they get missed sometimes."
Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said: "The foreign national prisoner population is lower than it was in 2010 and reducing it further is a top priority for this government. We are working hard to reduce the numbers in our prison system - in 2012 alone we deported more than 4,500 foreign criminals from the UK.
He said the Ministry of Justice was working with the Home Office to make removals as efficient as possible.
'Well managed'
The committee did praise NOMS for making "significant savings in running costs", estimated to be worth £70m a year, by 2015-16.
The service is facing a £650m reduction in its £3.4bn budget.
The cuts strategy had been "well managed", Mrs Hodge acknowledged, with "experienced and consistent leadership".
Welcoming improvements in value for money, the PAC said new prisons were providing good, modern accommodation.
But it said inmates were still having to share cells, sometimes in overcrowded conditions, and that some high performing prisons had been closed before new ones were up to standard.