Early Removal of Fixed-Term Prisoners (Amendment of Eligibility Period) Order 2008

My Lords, I accept that. I have figures for each of the countries represented by the prison population. Rather than read them out, perhaps I may write to the noble Lord. I cannot tell him how many offenders with outstanding appeals are excluded from the scheme. We are not sure whether that information can be obtained, but I will certainly do everything I can to see whether that is possible. The changes being introduced in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, which we are all thoroughly enjoying debating at the moment and look forward to gathering for again next Wednesday, will make the scheme easier to administer and certainly bring more prisoners into scope. Clause 33 amends the position for prisoners entitled to be released under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, whereas Clause 34 amends the position for the 2003 Act prisoners. Broadly speaking, the changes in the Bill do two things: they remove the current statutory exemptions to the ERS, and extend ERS to those prisoners who are not liable to removal but who demonstrate a settled intention of residing abroad. Clause 33 also corrects a potential anomaly in the operation of the ERS in respect of prisoners sentenced under the different regimes of the Criminal Justice Acts 1991 and 2003. The provisions in the Bill are consistent and in parallel with the provisions that we are bringing forward in the SI today. I thank noble Lords for the general support that they have given to the orders, if not to some of the other interesting matters around this issue, and commend the orders to the House. On Question, Motion agreed to.