Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serving prisoners were not in prison accommodation over the latest Christmas period for which information is held; what offences were committed by each such offender; and how many such offences were in which category of violent offences against the person.

The attached tables show the number of individuals who were in the community on 25 December and 31 December 2018, having been released on temporary licence. The data is broken down into offence groups determined by the main offence for which the individual was sentenced, with a more detailed offence breakdown for those with a main offence in the violence against the person group of offences.

By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders don't return to crime when they leave prison. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL).