The information requested about how many and what proportion of foreign national offender inductions to immigration prison teams were made within 10 days in each year since 2015 is not available from published statistics.

The Home Office publishes information on FNOs in Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Our Points Based System enables the Government to prioritise the skills and talent we need to help our economy grow and support our NHS, while encouraging investment in, and protecting, our own resident workforce. In arriving at this package of measures, we have been mindful of the need to balance the impacts on economic growth and the needs of the labour market. The Graduate route remains the best opportunity for international graduates from UK universities to find a job in the UK labour market, including through graduate programmes.

In due course, the Government will provide further details on the implementation of these measures (including on salaries and transitional arrangements), which are due to come in to force by Spring 2024.

Information on the number of Foreign National prisoners by custody type (including ‘non-criminal) is routinely published in the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly release. This data can be found in Table A1.11 at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c045751e10bf000e17ce89/Population_30June2023_Annual.ods.

The proportion of ‘non-criminals’ as a percentage of the total Foreign National prison population can be calculated from the figures in the linked table.

There are currently no plans to publish the number of asylum interviews for foreign national offenders (FNOs).

The Home Office publishes information on FNOs in Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The information requested in PQs 5054 and 5055 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The most recent prison population data published in the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) is as at 30 September 2023. Any request for data ahead of this is exempt from disclosure, as it will form the basis for ‘future publication’. Therefore, we are not able to provide a substantive response to your request at this time.

The information requested in PQs 5054 and 5055 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The most recent prison population data published in the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) is as at 30 September 2023. Any request for data ahead of this is exempt from disclosure, as it will form the basis for ‘future publication’. Therefore, we are not able to provide a substantive response to your request at this time.

The total number of foreign national offenders who are imprisoned is published in Table A1.11 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1173712/Population_30June2023_Annual.ods.

Data for the second element can be found in the attached file.

The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority with all FNOs sentenced to custody being referred to the Home Office for consideration of deportation. Both departments are working closely to maximise removals from prison including:

• Expanding the Early Removal Scheme to 18 months so we get them out of the country early and no longer cost taxpayers a small fortune;
• Deploying more Home Office caseworkers to speed up and increase removals from this country, and look at measures to remove foreign nationals accused of less serious crimes more quickly;
• Continuing to sign strike new prisoner transfer deals like the one agreed with Albania.

The Govt has made good progress from removing from prison and the community and published figures show that overall FNO returns have increased in the latest 12-month period (ending September 2023) by 19% when compared to previous 12-month period (3,577 compared to 3,011).   We removed 16,676 foreign national offenders since January 2019 to September 2023.

The information requested in PQs 5054 and 5055 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The most recent prison population data published in the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) is as at 30 September 2023. Any request for data ahead of this is exempt from disclosure, as it will form the basis for ‘future publication’. Therefore, we are not able to provide a substantive response to your request at this time.

The Government is clear in its commitment to identifying, protecting, and supporting genuine victims of modern slavery whilst prosecuting criminals.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015, and subsequent legislation such as the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, and Illegal Migration Act 2023, make it harder for people to game the modern slavery system. Measures in our modern slavery legislation strike the right balance and still enable us to protect genuine victims of trafficking.

The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 introduced the Public Order Disqualification, which means that foreign national offenders can be removed from the protections of the NRM where they pose a threat to public order.

The Illegal Migration Act 2023 furthered these measures, toughening the measures introduced in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Additionally, where a foreign national offender has entered the United Kingdom illegally, and therefore presents a threat to public order, they will be disqualified from access to a recovery period and modern slavery specific support, unless they qualify for limited exceptions.

Schools have autonomy over how they use their budgets, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL), as well as the type of support they need.

Pupils with EAL, and who have started in the state-funded school system in England within the last three years, attract additional funding to their school through the EAL factor in the schools National Funding Formula (NFF). In the 2024/25 financial year, 1.1% (£484 million) of the total funding in the NFF will be allocated through the EAL factor (for both primary and secondary pupils). For secondary school pupils specifically, total EAL funding for 2024/25 is £141 million, with the EAL factor set at £1,585 per eligible secondary pupil.

The Home Office is the central authority for Mutual Legal Assistance for England, Wales and Northern Ireland except for tax and fiscal customs criminal matters, which are coordinated by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Requests seeking assistance solely from Scotland are sent directly to the Crown Office in Edinburgh.

Information on the number of times information was requested on individuals then resident in the UK between 1998 and 2022 made under the 1994 Treaty is not recorded by the Home Office.

The Home Office collects and publishes arrests in England and Wales as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and ‘Procedures’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

However, data is not collected on the nationality of the person arrested.

1,347 foreign military personnel have trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst since 2010. The attached table shows a breakdown by nationality and year.

Ofcom has assured us that it does recognise that Regional Secondary Locators (RSLs) have strong significance for some radio amateurs. Given this, Ofcom proposes to amend the licence and make the use of an RSL optional for licensees, while retaining the right for those that wish to use an RSL to continue to do so. This will avoid situations in which RSL users could breach their licence when crossing borders between nations.

Internationally, the use of an RSL is not mandated or provided for by the overarching regulatory framework set out by the International Telecoms Union Radio Regulations.

The UK has imposed asset freezes on six Chinese nationals in the last five years.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or market share is met.

Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.

For transactions involving newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises serving that audience.

Further details of the process and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 here.