Here's £3,000...now piss off!

This is some lateral thinking which might cost a minister their job, surely?! What's the idea - give (foreign) criminals money to leave the UK!

The reason is that Lin Homer, chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, says: "Every day that we can get these individuals out of the country early saves our taxpayers over £100 a night."

The Evening Standard said that John Reid, the Home Secretary, introduced pay-offs back in 2006 as a means of easing the prison overcrowding crisis and that the "standard financial reintegration package is £800", but the top-up offer worth nearly 4x the basic package has been introduced as the UK's jails reach over-capacity.

Red tape To get the full pay-out some rules do apply...like the £3,000 offer is only available until the end of April. Home Office stats say that more than 4,200 foreign prisoners were deported in 2007 which is 80% more than in 2006. The 'popularity' is claimed to be down to the cash incentives.

To me, it seems weird for the government to pay criminals and reinforces the idea that the UK is a welfare state ready for exploitation!

Hey, wait a minute Can't Britain just expel foreign criminals after they've done their 'porridge'?! After all some laws have been broken which must void something!?