Home Office Fails To Deport FNOs Despite Increased Resources

The Home Office is failing to deport foreign national offenders (FNOs) in the UK to their home countries.

The number of FNOs in prison and the number deported from the UK have remained broadly unchanged since 2006, according to a report by the Nation Audit Office (NAO).

the number of foreign nationals in prison in the UK increased slightly (by 4%) from 10,231 to 10,649, despite a tenfold increase in the number of the Department's staff working on FNO casework. After an initial surge in the number removed from 2,856 in 2006-07 to 5,613 in 2008-09 (following the problems in 2006 when the Department found that 1,013 FNOs had been released without being considered for deportation), removal numbers have declined to 5,097 in 2013-14.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: "It is no easy matter to manage foreign national offenders in the UK and to deport those who have completed their sentences. However, too little progress has been made, despite the increased resources and effort devoted to this problem.The Government’s focus on preventative measures and early action is promising, but it has only just started to exploit these options. It needs to build on the momentum of its recent action plan, in particular taking advantage of relatively inexpensive and straightforward opportunities to make progress."

(CD/MH)