Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance is provided to prisoners on (a) applying for and (b) the rules on bail.

The majority of bail information services are delivered at Court and provide factual, verified information to the Court to assist in deciding whether there are grounds to release a defendant on bail rather than remand them in custody. The bail information provided by prisons is in addition to that which is provided at Court. The National Probation Service also provide Bail Assessment reports when asked to do so by the Court.

The Department’s focus is on ensuring applicants access to the relevant information at the court stage of the process.