Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they conducted (1) an equality impact assessment, and (2) a safety impact assessment, for the proposed measures contained in the Root and Branch Review of the Parole System, published on 30 March.

The Government did not produce a formal Equalities Statement or an Impact Assessment prior to publishing the Root and Branch Review but a detailed assessment of the equalities and other potential impacts of the proposals will be carried out as we develop the legislation that will be needed to implement the measures. An Equalities Statement and a full Impact Assessment will be prepared for publication when the legislation is introduced.

We consider that the proposed measures in the Root and Branch Review will not have significant equalities or safety impacts. The majority of prisoners going through the parole process will not be affected by the main proposals which are targeted at the top tier of the most serious cases. We consider those measures to be proportionate and justified by the need to enhance public protection when it comes to those who have committed the most serious offences and present the highest risk.