Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help offenders find employment following their release from prison.

Improving employment outcomes for prison leavers is one way that the Ministry of Justice is supporting businesses by producing the candidates that employers need to fill the nearly 1.25m vacancies in the UK right now. We know, too, that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points, helping to cut crime and give us safer streets.

We are offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release from custody. This will be supported by our new, dedicated Prison Employment Leads, who are now in post at 80 prisons. They will provide case-level employment support and match prisoners to roles on release, as well as head up new Employment Hubs where prisoners can access support with job applications and CVs.

We are also building stronger links with employers, including through our prison Employment Advisory Boards. Chaired by local business leaders, they will provide challenge and advice on how to align the skills delivered in prisons with labour market demand. Chairs have now been appointed to 72 Employment Advisory Boards.