§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries with which the United Kingdom has international agreements for the transfer of prisoners; and how many prisoners were transferred under these agreements showing which countries they were transferred to and of what crimes they had been convicted.
§ Mr. EggarThe United Kingdom is currently party to one international agreement for the transfer of prisoners, the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons, which came into force for the United Kingdom on 1 August 1985. Other states which have ratified the convention are Austria, Cyprus, France, Spain, Sweden, Canada and the United States. At present 13 other States have signed the Convention with the intention of ratifying it in due course.
Between 1 August 1985 and 31 July 1986 there have been 12 transfers comprising two prisoners transferred from Sweden to the United Kingdom, nine from the United Kingdom to the United States and one from the United Kingdom to Canada. There have been none since. Of the 10 outward transfers, seven convictions were under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, one under the Official Secrets Act 1911 and two under the Theft Act 1968. The two inward transfers were of persons convicted of drugs offences.