Member

My noble friend Lord Jackson has on multiple occasions, as he has already detailed, sought to press the Government to release the data on the number of foreign students who have had their student visa revoked and been deported as a result of criminal offences. To date, he has had no luck. The Home Office simply seemed to bat away his questions by saying it does not keep the data and that it would be too costly for it to collect it. If the Home Office does hold such information, it should publish it, but if it does not currently hold such information, it should be required to do so. It is slightly concerning that the Home Office has stated that it does not collect such data, given the importance of transparency for creating trust in government. It also demonstrates a hole in the Home Office’s understanding of patterns of offences and the prevalence of offending by those on student visas.