Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released on temporary licence in each month in the last three years.

The attached table shows the number of individuals who were released on temporary licence each month in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a thorough risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). Research published in 2018 indicates that ROTL helps to reduce re-offending. It helps offenders to build and maintain family ties and find work, which are a critical aspect of reducing the £18 billion annual cost to the taxpayer of reoffending.