Motion or amendment: Expansion of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders
Motion or amendment by Mr Paul Frew on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Frew
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 October 2026
- Type
- Motion or amendment
- Business
- Motion · Private Members' Motion
- Heading
- Expansion of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders
- Assembly identifier
- Document 504864
Read the official Assembly record Open Data source
Text
Expansion of the Early Removal Scheme for Foreign National Offenders
That this Assembly believes the removal of foreign national offenders can reduce pressure on the local prison estate and ensure that public money is not unnecessarily spent on individuals who have no right to remain in the United Kingdom; further believes that the current operation of the early removal scheme does not sufficiently prioritise the public interest in that participation is voluntary and only permits removal up to a maximum of 135 days before a determinate custodial sentence expires; expresses concern at the unwillingness of the Minister of Justice to countenance strengthening the scheme despite having the requisite powers to do so; stresses that the current number of applications under the existing arrangements should prompt the Minister to examine how the scheme can be made more effective, rather than constitute a reason for retaining the status quo; calls on the Minister of Justice, in consultation with the Home Office, to bring forward legislation to make early removal compulsory for fixed-term foreign prisoners; and further calls on the Minister to reconsider her rejection of proposals to allow these offenders to be removed at a substantially earlier point in their custodial sentence.
200 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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