Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2020 to Question 58089, of the 230 women who were not deemed suitable for the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme how many (a) lacked suitable accommodation in the community, (b) no longer wished to proceed with their application and (c) were deemed to present an unacceptable level of risk if released.

236 women in custody asked to be considered for the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR).

As of Friday 12 June, 6 women were released under ECTR and 22 were still in the process (undergoing police and probation checks).

49 women did not consent to ECTR.

128 women did not pass the initial risk screening at establishment level, and 31 were screened out later in the process following checks by police and probation.

No women were deemed unsuitable due to a lack of accommodation. The National Probation Service (NPS) established 7 joint NPS/CRC Homelessness Prevention Taskforces (HPT) in England and Wales in March 2020. All homeless prisoners who are otherwise eligible for ECTR, are referred to the HPTs who will work with local housing providers to source appropriate accommodation. During the Covid -19 pandemic, Ministry of Justice funding has also been made available to house ECTR released prisoners in short term accommodation for up to 56 nights. This can include hotel and B&B accommodation. Those who are at risk of homelessness, will be referred to Local Authorities for assistance. Through The Gate case workers will be assigned to each person released on ECTR to support their move into longer term housing as well as other resettlement pathways.