Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prison Leavers: Employment

Tuesday 22 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial questions focused on prison leavers employment
  • Government will offer offenders work opportunities in prison and on release
  • Friend highlighted employment as vital for reducing reoffending cycle

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about the high rate of reoffending among ex-prisoners who lack employment opportunities upon release.

Question

What steps he is taking to increase the proportion of offenders who are employed on leaving prison?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

The Government will deliver a presumption in favour of offering offenders the chance to work in prison, on release on temporary licence, and on release.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify concrete steps or statistics regarding employment rates for released prisoners.

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Q2 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Employment
Context

The MP is emphasizing the importance of offender employment in reducing recidivism and seeks details on how the Department prioritizes this issue.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that getting offenders into employment is vital to reducing reoffending? Will he therefore outline to the House what steps his Department is taking to refocus on the key performance indicators that it measures, to ensure that offender employment is a priority for this Government?

Answer from Kit Malthouse

My hon. Friend, in his usual manner, has put his finger on the button of part of the solution to the reoffending cycle. We firmly believe that there are three pillars for success in rehabilitating offenders: the first is a home, the second is a job, and the third is a friend. We are committing to providing all three to those who leave the secure estate. With all other Departments, we will publish our outcome delivery plan in the new financial year. I can reassure my hon. Friend that our right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is setting extremely challenging and ambitious targets for the Department, particularly in regard to housing and employment.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific KPIs or concrete steps related to offender employment.

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