Martin Vickers asked the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, to redouble his efforts to relieve pressure on prison spaces and budgets by returning foreign prisoners to their home countries to serve their sentences.
Martin said:
"I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his robust response this afternoon and over the weekend in the media. I urge him to redouble his efforts to ensure that foreign prisoners are returned to their home countries as quickly as possible to serve their sentences, which relieves pressure on space and budgets."
The Minister responded by assuring Martin that this remains a top priority.
The Minister said:
"I assure my hon. Friend that that remains a major priority. I pay tribute to the prisons Minister, who has successfully completed one prisoner transfer agreement and is discussing others. We need to do everything we can to return people to their country of origin as soon as possible, because it reduces the pressures on the prison population."