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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

The Government have previously announced their intention to ratify the additional protocol to the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons. The protocol provides for the transfer of prisoners subject to a deportation order to the state to which they would ultimately be deported for the purpose of the continued enforcement of the sentence there. The prisoners' consent is not required. The protocol also provides for the transfer of responsibility for the enforcement of a sentence when a serving prisoner has fled from one jurisdiction to another to avoid the consequences of imprisonment. The United Kingdom has sufficient legislation in place to enable a prisoner to be transferred without his consent when a deportation order has been issued. However, existing legislation is not sufficient to provide for the transfer of responsibility for the continued enforcement of a sentence when no physical transfer of the prisoner takes place. The new clauses in this group and the related consequential amendments seek to rectify that omission and pave the way for the ratification of the additional protocol. I commend them to the House.