Controversy continued here over the deportation of foreign prisoners from British jails, whose inmates include 253 Indians and 416 Pakistanis. Deportation of foreign prisoners is among the major issues faced by new Home Secretary John Reid. The issue generated much heat in the House of Commons and in the media when it was revealed that many prisoners committed offences after being released. Prime Minister Tony Blair recently said that foreign prisoners would be deported to their countries of origin, irrespective of the nature of their crime. Opposition MPs had protested that foreign prisoners had been allowed to remain in open jails after the government recently announced their deportation.