Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2022 to Question 144920 on Offenders: Employment, what steps he is taking to increase the number of prisoners finding work following their release from the worst performing prisons.

It is a priority for this government to increase the proportion of prison leavers in employment following release. We will deliver a presumption in favour of offering offenders the chance to work in prison, on Release on Temporary Licence and on release.

We will hold Governors to account for the opportunities and outcomes to participate in work related activity they achieve for prisoners. In return, we will deliver a new digital tool to inform governors and commissioners about progress and what interventions are working in their prison.

We are also rolling out dedicated Employment Advisors in all resettlement prisons, to improve how we identify candidates and match them to jobs. This will mean that there is a named person in those establishments accountable for improving these outcomes. Alongside this, we are establishing ‘Employment Hubs’ which are the equivalent of a ‘job centre in a prison’. Prisoners can find out about opportunities sourced by New Futures Network and other partners, as well as access support with applications. There are 23 in operation currently and we plan to have a further 13 by the end of June.

Last month the government also announced that it would change the law so that prisoners are able to apply for apprenticeship opportunities in vital industries, including hospitality and construction.

Overall, we will publish an annual dashboard, showing performance against Key Performance Indicators, and league tables to increase transparency around prison performance.