Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support individuals with unspent convictions seeking employment.

We know that finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why the Government’s manifesto commits to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector.

Employment roles are in place across all 93 resettlement prisons to prepare prisoners for work on release, match them to jobs and provide ID documents to secure work. These are supported by employment advisory boards, linking local employers with the prison resettlement.

We have launched regional Employment Councils which bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders in the community.

In addition, HMPPS’ Creating Future Opportunities programme offers tailored support for ex-offenders - particularly those who are furthest from the labour market - to secure employment, training and education opportunities for release.

We also work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure support is in place for ex-offenders in the community, for example, through co-location of services.