Written questions by Frith.

What the re-offending rate is for prisoners serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection who are released.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data in the proven reoffending quarterly statistics on the proportion of offenders serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences who reoffend. Figures can be found in Table C2a: proven-reoffending-oct22-dec22-3-monthly.ods.I have provided figures from the latest publication on the last four quarters of available data: Jan - Mar 2022Apr - Jun 2022Jul – Sep 2022Oct - Dec 2022Proportion of IPP offenders who reoffend (%)4.89.56.52.3

Whether she plans to reform Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.

It is right that Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were abolished. We supported reforms to the IPP licence in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 in opposition. They commenced on 1 November, which terminated the licence for around 1,800 IPP offenders in the community. The remaining reforms will be implemented on 1 February 2025.The Government is determined to make further progress to support those serving the IPP sentence towards a safe and sustainable release, but not in a way that compromises public protection.

What steps her Department takes to support the reintegration of released prisoners.

Effective reintegration of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce reoffending, as it aims to ensure that the elements proven to reduce reoffending are in place when an offender leaves prison.This includes making sure someone has a home, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits. For example, to support a smoother transition into the community, we are delivering our temporary accommodation service so all offenders leaving prison at risk of homelessness are offered up to 12 weeks of accommodation to provide a stable base on release. To help ensure prisoners are matched to jobs on release, Prison Employment Leads, Employment Hubs, ID and Banking Administrators and Employment Advisory Boards are in every resettlement prison.We will also ensure that pre-release plans are created for those leaving custody, to ensure their needs are identified early, and individual robust plans are in place to address resettlement needs.

What steps her Department is taking to provide adequate mental health support for prisoners serving Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences.

It is right that Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences were abolished. We are committed to working at pace to support the progression of all those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that undermines public protection.We are committed to improving outcomes for offenders with mental health needs, including IPP prisoners, and recognise the importance of providing the right interventions at the right time.This is reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England which was published in 2023 and which sets out a shared priority workplan to deliver safe, decent and effective care for offenders in prison and the community.Health and justice partners have committed to providing an equivalent standard, range and quality of healthcare in prisons to that available in the community. If a prisoner has a severe mental health need to an extent that detention under the Mental Health Act 1983 may be appropriate, they will be referred and assessed by qualified clinicians to determine whether to transfer to a mental health hospital is warranted.

What steps her Department takes to ensure that recall decisions are (a) fair and (b) proportionate to public safety concerns.

The Government’s absolute focus is on public protection. Offenders on licence can be swiftly recalled to prison if they breach their licence conditions. The recall of an offender to custody is an important public protection measure, and successive thematic reviews conducted by HM Chief Inspector of Probation have found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately.Additionally, HMPPS has issued guidance to probation practitioners, to ensure all safe alternatives to recall are considered before a decision is taken to recall an offender.