Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the number of people being released homeless from prisons in England

The Ministry of Justice understands that It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere safe, stable and secure to live.

Through the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy, we will invest up to £6.4 milion in a pilot scheme to support individuals released from three prisons, namely Bristol, Leeds and Pentonville. Following a mobilisation period, we expect services to commence later this summer. This is a concrete step in our commitment to tackling rough sleeping.

Since the commencement on 1 October of the duty to refer service users who may be homeless, or threatened with homelessness, to the local authority, there has been a steady flow of referrals from prisons and probation providers. We will continue to promote this duty, and to support prisons and probation providers to ensure it is carried out effectively.