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Prisoners: Foreigners

Volume 471: debated on Monday 28 January 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many foreign national prisoners were held in English and Welsh prisons on 31 December 2007, broken down by nationality; (179771)

(2) how many foreign prisoners of no known country of origin there were in England and Wales on 31 December 2007.

At the end of September 2007, the most recent date for which information is currently available, there were, overall, a total of 11,211 foreign national prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales. There were an additional 919 prisoners where the nationality was not currently recorded on central IT systems, of which 650 were untried prisoners held on remand and their nationality is not yet recorded on central data systems. The total includes prisoners held on remand or serving custodial sentences, as well as those held under the Immigration Act 1971 (including those in the immigration removal centres of Dover, Haslar and Lindholme).The full breakdown of these figures can be found in the following table below.

These figures are updated quarterly at the website:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

NOMS continues to work with the Border and Immigration Agency to speed up the system for removing those foreign national prisoners who meet the deportation criteria. Where the information is not already available, this will include establishing the nationality of individuals, and the relevant country of origin (or transit) to deport them to if appropriate.

Population in prison by nationality and sex, England and Wales, 30 September 2007

Nationality

Total

All nationalities

80,855

UK nationals

68,725

Foreign nationals

11,211

Not recorded

919

Total Africa

3,313

Angola

86

Burundi

10

Benin

3

Botswana

2

Ivory Coast

27

Central African Republic

9

Congo

119

Cameroon, United Republic

38

Cape Verde

1

Algeria

192

Egypt

16

Ethiopia

40

Ghana

240

Gambia

44

Guinea

14

Equatorial Guinea

1

Guinea/Bissau

1

Kenya

78

Liberia

28

Lesotho

1

Libya

18

Morocco

44

Mali

2

Mauritania

3

Mauritius

17

Malawi

12

Mozambique

6

Namibia

5

Niger

6

Nigeria

1,098

St. Pierre and Miquelon

1

Rwanda

19

Sudan

46

Sierra Leone

84

Senegal

5

Somalia

379

Swaziland

1

Chad

1

Togo

10

Tunisia

21

Tanzania

17

Uganda

77

Western Sahara

1

South Africa

225

Zambia

18

Congo, Democratic Republic

35

Zimbabwe

211

Total Asia

2,017

Afghanistan

96

Bangladesh

164

Burma

5

China

349

Hong Kong

6

Indonesia

3

India

320

British Indian Ocean Territories

1

Japan

2

Cambodia

1

Korea, Republic of (South)

6

Sri Lanka

150

Mongolia

8

Malaysia

26

Philippines

20

Pakistan

412

Singapore

6

Thailand

7

Vietnam

434

Total central and south America

333

Argentina

5

Bolivia

7

Brazil

74

Belize

1

Chile

10

Colombia

114

Costa Rica

3

Ecuador

10

French Guyana

2

Guatemala

3

Guyana

38

Honduras

1

Mexico

22

Panama

3

Peru

6

Paraguay

1

Surinam

10

El Salvador

2

Uruguay

1

Venezuela

20

Total Europe

3,162

Albania

174

Armenia

5

Austria

14

Azerbaijan

4

Bosnia-Herzegovina

7

Belgium

40

Bulgaria

33

Croatia

11

Switzerland

7

Czech Republic

54

Cyprus

52

Germany

131

Denmark

9

Estonia

22

Spain

72

Finland

3

France

152

Georgia

16

Gibraltar

2

Greece

20

Hungary

22

Irish Republic

651

Iceland

1

Italy

95

Kazakhstan

4

Kyrgyzstan

3

Lithuania

203

Latvia

59

Moldova

28

Macedonia

8

Serbia and Montenegro

92

Malta

6

Netherlands

118

Norway

5

Poland

362

Portugal

192

Romania

140

Sweden

15

Slovakia

20

San Marino

1

Slovenia

5

Russia

94

Turkey

203

Turkmenistan

2

Uzbekistan

3

Total middle east

568

United Arab Emirates

8

Iran

207

Israel

23

Iraq

254

Jordan

7

Kuwait

11

Lebanon

24

Oman

1

Qatar

1

Saudi Arabia

12

Syrian Arab Republic

7

Yemen, Republic of

10

Total north America

131

Canada

25

United States of America

106

Total Oceania

51

Australia

26

Fiji

11

French Southern Territories

1

Kiribati

1

New Zealand

10

Papua New Guinea

2

Total other

13

West Indies

1,622

Anguilla

1

Netherlands Antilles

11

Barbados

35

Bermuda

4

Bahamas

5

Cuba

4

Dominica

13

Dominican Republic

11

Grenada

18

Haiti

1

Jamaica

1,357

St. Lucia

36

Montserrat

16

Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis

3

Trinidad and Tobago

92

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

14

Note:

Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Source:

This table has been taken from table 5 of the monthly published statistics to be found at:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custodySep07.pdf.

Table 5 is updated quarterly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals there were in UK prisons in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin. (181708)

At the end of September 2007, the latest date on which published data is available, there were 11,211 foreign national prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales.

Information on the country of origin of individual prisoners is not available, and may not be the same as their nationality. The following table gives a breakdown by nationality of all foreign national prisoners in prison establishments in England and Wales. It is available quarterly as Table 5 within the population in custody monthly published tables at the following website:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm

The latest edition containing Table 5 is given at:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/population-in-custodySep07.pdf

http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/pop-in-custody-sep07.xls

Comparable information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

For the proportion of total prisoners who are foreign nationals, Council of Europe data on foreign national prisoners held in other major western countries reveal much higher proportions, for example in Austria (43 per cent.), Spain (33 per cent.), Germany (28 per cent.) and France (21 per cent.) than the figure for England and Wales (14 per cent.), based on 2006 population data.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Population in prison by nationality and sex—England and Wales 30 September 2007

Nationality

Male

Female

Total

All nationalities

76,439

4,416

80,855

UK nationals

65,387

3,338

68,725

Foreign nationals

10,223

988

11,211

Not recorded

829

90

919

Total Africa

2,874

439

3,313

Angola

80

6

86

Burundi

10

0

10

Benin

3

0

3

Botswana

2

0

2

Ivory Coast

26

1

27

Central African Republic

9

0

9

Congo

112

7

119

Cameroon, United Republic

36

2

38

Cape Verde

1

0

1

Algeria

190

2

192

Egypt

16

0

16

Ethiopia

39

1

40

Ghana

206

34

240

Gambia

40

4

44

Guinea

13

1

14

Equatorial Guinea

1

0

1

Guinea/Bissau

1

0

1

Kenya

66

12

78

Liberia

20

8

28

Lesotho

0

1

1

Libya

18

0

18

Morocco

43

1

44

Mali

2

0

2

Mauritania

2

1

3

Mauritius

16

1

17

Malawi

11

1

12

Mozambique

6

0

6

Namibia

4

1

5

Niger

6

0

6

Nigeria

873

226

1,098

St. Pierre And Miquelon

1

0

1

Rwanda

19

0

19

Sudan

44

2

46

Sierra Leone

75

9

84

Senegal

4

1

5

Somalia

369

10

379

Swaziland

1

0

1

Chad

1

0

1

Togo

8

2

10

Tunisia

21

0

21

Tanzania

16

1

17

Uganda

72

5

77

Western Sahara

1

0

1

South Africa

166

59

225

Zambia

15

3

18

Congo, Democratic Republic

35

0

35

Zimbabwe

172

38

211

Total Asia

1,903

114

2,017

Afghanistan

96

0

96

Bangladesh

160

4

164

Burma

5

0

5

China

313

36

349

Hong Kong

5

1

6

Indonesia

3

0

3

India

306

14

320

British Indian Ocean Territories

1

0

1

Japan

1

1

2

Cambodia

1

0

1

Korea, Republic of (South)

6

0

6

Sri Lanka

148

2

150

Mongolia

7

1

8

Malaysia

21

5

26

Philippines

16

4

20

Pakistan

402

10

412

Singapore

3

3

6

Thailand

4

3

7

Vietnam

404

31

434

Total Central and South America

292

41

333

Argentina

3

2

5

Bolivia

6

1

7

Brazil

65

9

74

Belize

1

0

1

Chile

9

1

10

Colombia

108

6

114

Costa Rica

3

0

3

Ecuador

9

1

10

French Guyana

2

0

2

Guatemala

3

0

3

Guyana

30

7

38

Honduras

1

0

1

Mexico

17

5

22

Panama

2

1

3

Peru

6

0

6

Paraguay

0

1

1

Surinam

9

1

10

El Salvador

0

2

2

Uruguay

1

0

1

Venezuela

16

4

20

Total Europe

2,943

218

3,162

Albania

173

1

174

Armenia

5

0

5

Austria

12

2

14

Azerbaijan

4

0

4

Bosnia-Herzegovina

7

0

7

Belgium

37

3

40

Bulgaria

18

15

33

Croatia

10

1

11

Switzerland

6

1

7

Czech Republic

49

5

54

Cyprus

50

2

52

Germany

119

12

131

Denmark

9

0

9

Estonia

19

3

22

Spain

61

12

72

Finland

2

1

3

France

137

15

152

Georgia

16

0

16

Gibraltar

2

0

2

Greece

15

5

20

Hungary

19

3

22

Irish Republic

618

34

651

Iceland

1

0

1

Italy

87

8

95

Kazakhstan

4

0

4

Kyrgyzstan

3

0

3

Lithuania

197

6

203

Latvia

57

2

59

Moldova

26

2

28

Macedonia

8

0

8

Serbia and Montenegro

90

2

92

Malta

6

0

6

Netherlands

99

19

118

Norway

5

0

5

Poland

342

20

362

Portugal

183

9

192

Romania

123

17

140

Sweden

11

4

15

Slovakia

18

2

20

San Marino

1

0

1

Slovenia

4

1

5

Russia

82

12

94

Turkey

202

1

203

Turkmenistan

2

0

2

Uzbekistan

3

0

3

Total Middle East

558

10

568

United Arab Emirates

8

0

8

Iran

200

7

207

Israel

23

0

23

Iraq

253

2

254

Jordan

7

0

7

Kuwait

11

0

11

Lebanon

23

1

24

Oman

1

0

1

Qatar

1

0

1

Saudi Arabia

12

0

12

Syrian Arab Republic

7

0

7

Yemen, Republic of

10

0

10

Total North America

119

12

131

Canada

19

6

25

United States of America

100

6

106

Total Oceania

49

2

51

Australia

24

2

26

Fiji

11

0

11

French Southern Territories

1

0

1

Kiribati

1

0

1

New Zealand

10

0

10

Papua New Guinea

2

0

2

Total other

13

0

13

West Indies

1,471

151

1,622

Anguilla

1

0

1

Netherlands Antilles

7

4

11

Barbados

32

3

35

Bermuda

4

0

4

Bahamas

5

0

5

Cuba

3

1

4

Dominica

12

1

13

Dominican Republic

8

3

11

Grenada

15

3

18

Haiti

1

0

1

Jamaica

1,225

102

1,357

St. Lucia

29

7

36

Montserrat

15

1

16

Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis

2

1

3

Trinidad and Tobago

69

23

92

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

11

3

14

Notes:These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so, although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.