Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to incentivise employers to recruit ex-offenders.

We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn. We also want prison staff to prioritise education and employment opportunities. We are giving governors greater control over their budgets to bring in education and employment schemes that deliver real results. More private sector companies now employ ex-offenders than ever before, but we are keen to increase the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders in prison, and who are able to offer them employment on release.