Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Prison Reform Trust report Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison, published in October 2020, particularly the recommendation that official data should account for women falling into "hidden homelessness" after leaving prison.

We welcome the findings from the Safe Homes for Women Leaving Prison report and while there is no specific recommendation regarding “hidden homelessness”, we recognise the importance of consistent data as referenced within the report.

To ensure consistent and accurate data recording, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government, has recently updated the Accommodation Recording Guidance to ensure probation regions have a clear and consistent understanding of the accommodation status definitions, and how to record accurately. The Guidance defines homelessness as where an individual is rough sleeping, squatting, residing in night shelters, emergency hostels or campsites.

Data on accommodation outcomes for supervised prison leavers disaggregated by gender is currently recorded and published in the Community Performance Annual, update to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The Target Operating Model for probation services in England and Wales, published in February 2021, included a target on the number of individuals being housed on release from custody (90%), and a target concerning settled accommodation for all supervised individuals (those released from prison and those on community sentences) three months after commencement of their supervision (80%).