The Government's record on tackling crime came under fire this evening after it emerged that more than 1,000 foreign prisoners facing deportation have been mistakenly released.

Murderers, paedophiles and rapists are among the 1,023 foreign nationals freed into the community since 1999. All should have been considered for expulsion from the United Kingdom after completing their prison sentences.

The Home Office has so far tracked down 107of the convicts, of whom 20 have now been returned to their country of origin. The whereabouts of more than 900 remain unknown. Ministers came under further criticism this evening for refusing to release their names.

Charles Clarke was forced to admit the "deeply regrettable" blunder in response to a written question from Edward Leigh, the Tory chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

The Home Secretary said that his department was working energetically to track down the missing prisoners. He admitted that three murderers, five paedophiles and nine rapists were among those who have disappeared. He accepted that he could not guarantee "hand on heart" that all would be traced.

Mr Clarke said that the blunder was the result of a breakdown in communication between the Home Office, Prison Service and Immigration and Nationality Directorate. He blamed a 150 per cent increase in the number of foreign prisoners in the past decade for overwhelming the system.

Mr Clarke said that he had considered resigning over the issue but had taken the view that "my priority as Home Secretary has got to be to put the situation entirely straight." He was facing demands to make a full statement to the House of Commons.

Tony Blair said that he was "hardly pleased" about the revelations but added that he did not believe it was a matter for resignation. "I think it is unreasonable to expect ministers to know what is going on in every nook and cranny in their department," he said.

Opposition MPs said that the blunder was evidence of the chaos and mismanagement endemic within the immigration and prison systems. The revelation comes in the run-up to local elections where issues of crime and immigration have dominated campaigns.

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said that it was the latest in a long line of failures that have jeopardised protection of the public. He said that Mr Clarke had only issued today's statement after misleading the Public Accounts Committee in December.

Richard Bacon, a backbench Tory member of the PAC whose persistent questions led to today's admission, said: "It beggars belief. This appears to illustrate a kind of administrative chaos that is hard to credit." He said that the Home Office’s refusal to name the missing 916 criminals was "Kafka-esque".

He added: "I would have thought this is information the public have a right to know. When the Home Office has made such a hideous mistake, you’d have thought they would do everything possible to find them, including enlisting the assistance of the public."

Also among the 1,023l were seven criminals who had served time for sex offences, 57 for violent offences and two for manslaughter. There were 41 burglars, 20 drug importers, 54 convicted of assault and 27 of indecent assault.

Some 28 of the criminals were convicted of immigration crimes, including 16 involved in people trafficking. The Home Office admitted that it did not know the full details of the offences committed by 100 more.

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "All the Government’s tough talk on crime counts for nothing in the face of this incompetence. What possible excuse can there be for this disgraceful state of affairs?

"It is extraordinary that so many people who have been convicted of serious offences and should have been considered for deportation have simply disappeared."

In his written statement, Mr Clarke said that the number of foreign prisoners in British jails had more than doubled from 4,259 in 1996 to 10,265 this year but arrangements for dealing with them upon their release had not kept pace.

He wrote: "It is clear that the increasing numbers of cases being referred for consideration [for deportation] led to the process falling down. It is clear that there has been a failure on our part to deal with all the cases we should have.

"That failure has been identified in part due to the strengthening of the system for identifying foreign national prisoners and there is now a package of initiatives underway to strengthen this area of business."

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the probation union Napo, said that the chances of tracking down large numbers of the released prisoners was "remote".

He said: "The best opportunity would be if they are re-arrested for other offences and checks are carried out on the Police National Computer. The Home Office is facing crisis."

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