Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what legislation he plans to bring forward to give effect to the statement that the progression model will come into force on 1 October 2026; whether that legislation will amend or revoke the Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2026; and on what date he intends to lay it.

This Government inherited a prisons system days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, including through the progression model, which will help ensure there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe.

The Government carefully considered concerns raised by victims, survivors, parliamentarians and the wider public and acted on those concerns. As a result, offenders convicted of unlawful killing offence such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, as well as further historic child sex offences, will now be excluded, on top of rape and serious child sex offences. This also includes offenders convicted of offences involving the killing of an emergency worker. A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.

These exclusions are in addition to the existing exclusion of more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences.

The progression model amends release points for offenders serving Standard Determinate Sentences.

The date from which the progression model will apply, and the date of the first tranche of releases is 1 October 2026. Offenders released under the progression model will be controlled under strict licence conditions and can be recalled to custody where they breach those conditions or their risk can no longer be safely managed in the community.

The Government has made a commencement regulation to revoke the previous order’s commencement date for the Progression Model. Full details are set out in ‘The Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 6 and Revocation) Regulations 2026’ which is available at Legislation.gov.uk.