Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who had previously been released from prison following a murder conviction were on life licence in each year since 2007.

All offenders convicted of murder must receive a life sentence. Once an offender has served the minimum term in prison imposed by the court he or she may be considered for release by the Parole Board, which will only release a prisoner if it is satisfied that it is safe to do so. If and when they are released, all offenders serving life sentences are on licence for the rest of their lives, and subject to recall to prison at any time.

The number of first releases for those prisoners serving a mandatory life sentence for the period 2007 to 2014 is published online and can be found in table A3.3 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449324/prison-releases-annual-2014.xlsx .