Work to track down criminals freed in the foreign prisoners fiasco should have begun at least three weeks earlier than it did, Charles Clarke admitted today.

In a letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee, the former home secretary gave a detailed version of events leading up to the scandal which led to him being sacked by Tony Blair.

He insisted that it was not until March 17 this year that ministers were made aware of the "specific problem" involving 1,019 foreign prisoners being freed without being considered for deportation.

Mr Clarke said he only received a more detailed briefing on the scale of the problem on March 31.

"The suggestion that from July 2005 I had personally known about the failure to consider deportation and done nothing about it was wrong," he said.

"It was only in late March that ministers, including myself, were made aware of the failure to consider for deportation some foreign national prisoners at the end of their sentence, and when we were made aware of this action was then taken."

But he added: "Looking back, I am sure that it would have been better of the operational process to pursue these foreign national prisoners had been commenced earlier - at least upon receipt of the March 31 submission.

"Given the history of this matter, however, I felt at the time it was important to make sure that the information was as accurate as possible before it was reported to the House, and then to the public and the media."

Warnings from a number of sources about foreign prisoners in summer 2005 and previously were concerned with problems associated with the number of foreign inmates, he said, rather than the specific issue of deportation at the end of their sentences.

Mr Clarke’s letter was addressed to John Denham, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee which is conducting an investigation into the foreign prisoners debacle.

• A 21-year-old man arrested in London last week under the Terrorism Act was tonight charged with conspiracy to murder a person or persons unknown.

  The man, who is from Bradford, was also charged with conspiracy to cause public nuisance by use of poisons and/or explosives to cause disruption fear or injury.

  A 28-year-old London man arrested as part of the same investigation into international terrorism was tonight charged under section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000 but West Yorkshire Police stressed this related to a separate matter.

  Both men are due to appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London tomorrow.

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