Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that offenders find employment on release.

Since we launched our Education and Employment Strategy in May 2018, we have overhauled the prison education system, allowing governors to commission skills-based training and education that meets the needs of the local labour market.

We have also introduced the New Futures Network, a specialist part of the Prison Service which brokers partnerships between prisons and employers in England and Wales. New Futures Network is now operating in 14 out of 15 geographical prison group areas and more than 360 businesses have registered an interest in working with prisons to provide work and training opportunities.

Additionally, we established new rules to allow governors to get offenders our to work earlier on temporary licence. This will increase the opportunities available for prisoners to secure jobs on release and reduce their chances of reoffending.