Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of measures used by other Council of Europe states whose levels of recidivism are lower than those of the UK.

Reducing the rate of reoffending is a key aim of this Government.

As set out in the Prisons Strategy White Paper, we are driving down reoffending through investing in getting offenders into skills training, work and stable accommodation. Our approach is informed by a wide range of data and evidence, including international best practice. We regularly engage with other Council of Europe states, including information sharing on recidivism through the European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services and the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics programme.

It is important to note, however, that care should be taken when comparing reoffending rates internationally as means of calculation between countries can vary and therefore data is not directly comparable.