Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made made of the potential effect on reoffending rates of employment of former prisoners.

Getting more prison leavers into employment is crucial to this government’s mission to cut crime and to make our streets safer by reducing reoffending.

We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why we set out robust plans to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers in the December Prisons Strategy White Paper. We know, too, that education reduces the chance of reoffending by up to nine percentage points. Our new Prisoner Education Service will ensure prisoners improve skills such as literacy and numeracy, acquire relevant vocational qualifications, and access employment and training opportunities on release.