Date: 26th April 2006
Released by: ANDREW TURNER

The Isle of Wight’s MP is asking how many foreign prisoners released without deportation being considered came from local prisons.

Following a parliamentary statement by the Home Secretary earlier today (Wednesday), Andrew Turner has tabled questions to find out how many have been released from each prison.

He said later,

“I want to find out how many prisoners have been released from each prison not because I think it is likely that many will remain on the Isle of Wight, but because I want to know whether this failure is endemic to the prison service or localised, affecting some prisons, or some regions, more than others.

“The whole saga is an absolute scandal. For over a thousand foreign prisoners, whom the courts had said should be considered for deportation, instead to be released into the community is bad enough. But for 288 of them to be released after the Home Secretary was told there was a problem was even worse. And for the Prime Minister to reject the Home Secretary’s offer of resignation without bothering to check the facts shows the sort of complacency and negligence of detail with which we are all becoming sadly familiar.

“Even if these murderers, rapists, child molesters and drug dealers are considered for deportation, there is only the remotest prospect that the Government will ever find out where they are. I am not suggesting any will be on the Island – most, I am sure, will be trying to melt into the background in our large cities. But it does show the hollowness of the Government’s claims to be tough on crime. As one of my colleagues said, it shows that the culture of this Government is to show more concern for foreign criminals than for law-abiding British people.”

END

Contact: Andrew Turner 01983 530808