Prisoners' Release: Housing

(asked on 14th March 2019) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tents were given to prisoners on discharge from jails in England and Wales in each of the last 12 months.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 22nd March 2019

It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere stable and secure to live. Having somewhere stable to live acts as a platform for ex-offenders to be able to access the services and support needed to turn their back on crime for good.

We do not hold the data requested since it not our policy to issue tents to service users.

The Ministry of Justice works very closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve the accommodation opportunities for those with a history of offending. This includes supporting the delivery of the Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August 2018. As part of this Strategy, the Government is investing £6.4M in a joint pilot to support individuals who have served 12 months or less in custody, and who are at risk of being released as homeless, to secure and maintain accommodation. The two departments are also working together through their membership of the cross-government Reducing Reoffending Board and the cross-government Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Taskforce.

Since 1 October 2018, Prisons and Probation providers have been subject to a legal ‘Duty to Refer’ anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to the Local Authority. This change means that offenders will receive meaningful housing assistance at an earlier stage, irrespective of their priority need.

Furthermore, with the introduction of the enhanced Through the Gate specification to come into effect from 1st April 2019, CRC’s will have the responsibility of ensuring that accommodation needs are addressed for cohorts under their supervision.

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