Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of prisoners being released on a (a) Friday and (b) Saturday to ensure that they are able to access housing and employment-related services on the day of release.

Prisoners are released when they have a statutory entitlement to be released once they have reached their automatic release date, or are released on a discretionary basis by the Parole Board, the Secretary of State or through early release on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) by prison governors.

If the automatic release date falls on a weekend or Bank holiday, the law (Section 23(3) Criminal Justice Act 1961) requires the release to be brought forward to the first preceding working day. Prisoners released on Fridays have the same access to support from probation providers as those released on any other day, including help in finding suitable accommodation and employment related services. Where appropriate, offenders may also be released on temporary licence (ROTL) in the run up to their release to facilitate appointments for resettlement purposes. I continue, however, to explore ways to reduce the burden of Friday release.

We are taking decisive action to improve the delivery of probation services in England and Wales, including investing £22million in extra support for offenders leaving prison. We are also investing £6m as part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy in pilot schemes bringing together prisons, local authorities, probation providers and others to plan, secure and sustain accommodation for offenders on their release.