Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make a comparative assessment of reoffending rates in (a) the UK, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) Denmark and (d) other countries.

This Government is tackling the causes of reoffending to keep our communities safe.

The overall proven reoffending rate for England and Wales was 24.4% in 2020/21, down from 31.6% in 2010/11, when we took over from the last Labour government. The overall proven reoffending rate for West Yorkshire in 2020/21 was 27.2%, down from 31.8% in 2010/11.

Reoffending rates are not calculated for the whole of the UK – the rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland can be obtained separately from their respective government departments.

Care should be taken when comparing reoffending rates both within the UK and internationally because the means of calculation between countries can vary and therefore data is not directly comparable.