It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for the first time, Sir Gary. I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Easington (Grahame Morris) and congratulate him on bringing forward this important debate on a topic that, despite the turnout, creates great interest on all sides. I note my party's background as a solicitor and previous service under the Department's predecessor in the Lord Chancellor's office. The hon. Member for Easington finished his speech with specific questions. Between October 2016 and December 2021, prison officer numbers rose from 17,955 to 22,156—an extra 4,201 full-time officers. Specific measures include rolling out pepper spray in the adult male estate and introducing 6,000 body cameras across the estate. On police officers, I confirm that we are at 13,500; I was pleased to hear about the number of extra officers in Cheshire and South Hams. We pay tribute to all those who serve in our communities. The proportion of offenders released from custody who reoffended within 12 months fell significantly from 51.5% in 2010-11 to 42.2% between April 2019 and March 2020; however, we recognise that reoffending rates are still too high across England and Wales (80% of offenders cautioned or convicted had at least one previous caution or conviction). This Government understand the concern and harm caused by repeat offending. We have a strong record in tackling reoffending but acknowledge there is no easy answer. We pursue an extensive package of measures to tackle it, including: - Sentencing framework: ensuring courts have the sentencing framework they need. - PCSC Act changes to legislation for longer custody sentences. - Tougher community sentencing options and closer supervision. - Reforms adult out-of-court disposals for low-level offending. - Probation service unification with £155 million per annum funding. - Integrated offender management scheme for persistent offenders (9,000 offenders supervised). - Investment in drug treatment services (£780 million over three years). - Alcohol tags for monitoring compliance with alcohol bans (97% of days monitored being alcohol-free). On release notifications: we have a victim contact scheme where an offender receives one year or more in custody, bereaved close relatives and victims of serious sexual and violent offences are automatically referred to the scheme. Prison education service will be delivered within this Parliament to raise numeracy, literacy, and skills. We plan for prison leavers to have accommodation and employment support on release, enabling apprenticeships, and engaging with community treatment ahead of release to reduce reoffending.