34,000 plane tickets for UK deportations cancelled, report saysMarch 24, 2016 - 16:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Plans to remove foreign criminals and immigrants living in Britain illegally were cancelled in 40% of cases, an independent report has found, according to the Guardian. Close to 34,000 plane tickets had to be cancelled in 18 months, costing at least £1.4m ($2m), according to a report from the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration. A lack of security staff to accompany detainees out of the country was a “major constraint”, the report said, according to the Guardian. The Home Office has outsourced some of its border and immigration functions to private contractors and the report, covering July to November 2015, examined the escorted and non-escorted removal services provided by private firms. It found that the Home Office and the companies contracted for the removal services were slow to resolve issues and reach agreement on areas for improvement. The recorded loss on unused tickets is equivalent to 4% of the total amount spent on tickets, although records were not always kept, inspectors found. Home Office figures for October 2014 to March 2015 showed that on average 2.5 tickets were issued for each individual successfully removed, the Guardian says. In the financial year 2014-15, “40% of all planned removals were cancelled”. As enforced removal is resorted to only when someone will not leave voluntarily, efforts to delay or stop deportation, through legal challenges or non-compliance, are commonplace. The report said: “The Home Office regarded some of the reasons for failed removals to be ‘out of [its] control’. While this might be true in individual cases at the point of removal, it was unclear what steps were being taken to identify lessons that might be applied by the Home Office and others to reduce ‘out of control’ failures.” Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | 17 bridges collapse as a result of floods in Armenia As a result of floods in Armenia’s northern Lori and Tavush provinces, 17 bridges, including five large ones, have collapsed. Armenia: Top cleric to retain title as he bids to become interim PM Galstanyan said earlier that the interim government would be tasked with stopping the “destruction of our homeland”. Ex-mayor of Karabakh capital arrested in Yerevan Ex-mayor of the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Stepanakert David Sargsyan has been arrested for 20 days. 269 people evacuated amid severe floods in Armenia’s north According to the Interior Ministry, 269 people have been evacuated from their homes in Lori and Tavush provinces. |