Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the number of ex-offenders who (a) left prison with no fixed address and (b) became homeless after leaving prison in the latest period for which figures are available.

Local Authorities are statutorily responsible for working with and supporting an individual in order to assist them into securing settled accommodation. However, as part of our probation reforms, all offenders get targeted support when they leave prison to help them reintegrate into society. This includes working with local partners to help them find accommodation.

Up until 2014/15 prisons were responsible for collecting information on accommodation outcomes for prisoners on release. The figures are based on prisoners self-reporting. Figures for the percentage of prisoners released into settled accommodation for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 are published on gov.uk.

From 1 May 2015 Community Rehabilitation Companies became responsible for helping offenders obtain suitable accommodation as part of their Through the Gate resettlement services. Information on what proportion of prisoners left prisons with settled accommodation for the financial year 2015-2016 and monthly information since April 2016 is not available centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.