HC Deb 24 April 1989 vol 151 cc400-2W
Mr. Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, against each country of which they are a national, the number of foreign citizens presently imprisoned in the United Kingdom, setting out against each (i) the nature of the offence, (ii) the sentence imposed and (iii) the remaining term of imprisonment left to serve.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

Information about individual foreign citizens could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The readily available information is given in the following two tables. The recording of nationality for

Population of known foreign national prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 December 1988: by type of offence and nationality
Offence
Nationality Violence against the person Sexual offences Burglary Robbery Theft, handling fraud and forgery Drugs offences Other offences Offence not recorded Courts martial Total
India 83 18 4 8 17 121 34 7 292
Pakistan 137 41 26 26 62 213 68 12 1 586
Other Asian 16 8 3 6 17 7 2 59
Commonwealth countries
Nigeria 4 8 2 3 33 307 52 9 418
Ghana 3 2 1 3 4 53 12 78
Sierra Leone 2 1 3
Other African 18 4 3 10 9 34 14 6 98
Commonwealth countries
Jamaica 114 43 28 57 22 119 40 15 438
Other Caribbean 33 19 9 18 9 34 12 3 137
Commonwealth
countries
Eire 148 41 82 68 68 95 63 20 585
Other EEC countries
South American
Countries
USA
Other nationalities 95 34 41 37 84 212 71 17 591
Total 651 218 196 233 314 1,207 374 91 1 3,285

Population of known foreign national prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 31 December 1988: by length of sentence and nationality.
Nationality Up to 1 month Over 1 month up to 3 month Over 3 month up to 6 month Over 6 month up to 12 month Over 12 month up to 18 month Over 18 month up to 4 years Over 4 years less than life Life Not recorded Total
India — 3 4 14 9 46 168 48 292
Pakistan 16 16 18 39 27 124 250 95 1 586
Other Asian Commonwealth Countries 3 4 1 19 25 7 59
Nigeria 2 1 7 16 170 218 3 1 418
Ghana 1 2 2 33 40 78
Sierra Leone 2 1 3
Other African Commonwealth countries 2 4 5 7 35 36 9 98
Jamaica 1 5 13 28 27 151 181 32 438
Other Caribbean Commonwealth countries 3 5 7 44 62 16 137
Eire; Other EEC countries; South American countries; USA 3 10 28 37 58 190 192 67 585
Other nationalities 1 8 14 36 35 160 290 46 1 591
Total 21 47 90 175 189 974 1,463 323 3 3,285
Average time remaining 11 34 21
to serve1 6 days 17 days 7 weeks 10 weeks 25 weeks months months months
1 Average time remaining to serve estimates assume full remission but make no allowance for release on parole. Estimates are based on those records for which an earliest date of release was available.

citizens of Commonwealth countries, Pakistan and the Irish Republic is not always reliable. The remaining term of imprisonment left to serve varies between individuals according to sentence length, date of reception into a Prison Service establishment, whether parole licence is granted and for how long, and whether full remission of sentence was earned; the readily available information gives the average remaining term for the sentence length group assuming full remission but without making allowance for parole.