7th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK-Philippines Prisoner Transfer Agreement

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government responds to the Committee's two queries by stating that it is aware of evidence of poor prison conditions in the Philippines, that the agreement is voluntary, and that it will "give due weight to an assessment of prison conditions before making any final decision".

• On human rights concerns, it says it is "aware of the evidence" of maltreatment and overcrowding, which "reflect our understanding of prison conditions in the Philippines", including limited medical treatment.
• For Filipino prisoners in the UK, it says HMPPS will refuse a transfer on human rights grounds (Article 3 ECHR) where it has "serious concerns relating to prison conditions", even if the prisoner is lobbying to return.
• On transfers of UK nationals from the Philippines, it says this "will become possible once the Philippines Government ratify the PTA", with the Manila Embassy ready to support applications "immediately following ratification by both countries".
• It says it does not publish information on individual transfers, and does not publish a breakdown where figures are 5 or fewer, as this "risks identifying the individuals involved".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error