Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the consistency and proportionality of imprisonment for public protection sentencing.

Assessment of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentencing found that it had been used far more widely than intended. This assessment led to its abolition by the Coalition Government in 2012 and its replacement with a new regime of determinate sentences alongside life sentences for the most serious offenders. We are taking steps, namely the creation of a case progression unit and the ongoing implementation of a joint NOMS and Parole Board action plan, to improve the opportunities given to remaining IPP prisoners to progress towards release. However, IPP prisoners should continue to be detained if the level of risk they pose to the public cannot be safely managed in the community.