Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences are currently present in the UK following completion of their custodial sentences.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office does not centrally record the data as requested. However, the department does publish data on the numbers of terrorist offenders released from prison in Great Britain. This includes offenders released at the end of their sentence, as well as those released on licence. This is part of the official statistics publication on the Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Acts, which are published quarterly on gov.uk. A total of 41 terrorist prisoners were released from custody in Great Britain in the year ending 30 June 2025.
The UK has one of the strongest counter-terrorism frameworks in the world, including a range of powers to support the management of terrorist offenders upon their release. For example, terrorist offenders can be subject to strict licence conditions and must comply with notification requirements upon release, which allows the police and other authorities to monitor and manage any ongoing risk that they pose.
This legislative framework has been strengthened over recent years and we keep it under continuous review to ensure operational partners have the tools they need to manage the risk posed by terrorist offenders.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were not notified before prisoners who perpetrated crimes against them were released early under the SDS40 scheme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.
The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme is a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of specified violent, sexual or terrorism offences and are sentenced to twelve months or more imprisonment. The Victim Notification Scheme provides a similar service for victims of certain stalking and harassment offences. Both Schemes allow for the Probation Service to notify eligible victims of information about an offender’s sentence.
When SDS40 was introduced, for those eligible victims who opted into the Schemes, the Probation Service provided information on the SDS40 changes, including the offender’s new release date and how to access support services. Eligible victims continue to receive key information about the offender in their case, including when the offender is recalled to custody.
Asked by: Anna Dixon (Labour - Shipley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic pressure his Department has exerted on the El Salvador government to ensure that the human rights of detainees at the Terrorism Confinement Centre in Tecoluca are protected.
Answered by Catherine West
The UK continues to urge the authorities in El Salvador to establish an exit strategy from the current State of Exception and ensure respect for human rights, including ensuring that prisoners are treated in line with international human rights standards and afforded the protections to which they have a right under El Salvador's Constitution. The UK reaffirmed this in its statement during El Salvador's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in January this year, calling on El Salvador to ensure the right to fair trial, with the guarantee of legal representation for defendants, and the release of individuals detained without clear evidence.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he plans to amend the monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements system for dealing with people who have been convicted of terror-related offences after their release from prison.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Multi Agency Review Arrangements (MARA) are a devolved matter, led and co-ordinated by the Department of Justice. MARA makes provision for classification of and risk management of Terrorist Risk Offenders following their release from prison. Any changes to MARA would be a matter for the Department of Justice.
Individuals released under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 are not managed under MARA, unless they are subject to other sentences which bring them within the MARA arrangements. I am not planning any changes to the arrangements under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of Parole Board decisions on (a) moving prisoners to open conditions, and (b) releasing prisoners were overruled by the Government in each of the last (i) 12 months, and (ii) 5 years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The transfer of an indeterminate sentence prisoner to open conditions is a categorisation decision for the Secretary of State. However, historically, before approving transfer the Secretary of State has sought the advice of the Parole Board. Even where the Parole Board recommends that a prisoner is suitable for open conditions, the Secretary of State has a discretion as to whether to accept the recommendation. Pursuant to the practice of seeking the Parole Board’s advice, the Secretary of State has published a policy to indicate where s/he will be likely to accept the Board’s recommendation.
Up until June 2022, the HM Prison & Probation Service Policy Framework stipulated that the Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) would accept a recommendation from the Parole Board except where:
The Policy Framework stated that the Secretary of State might also reject a Parole Board recommendation if it is considered that there is not a wholly persuasive case for transferring the prisoner to open conditions at this time.
For the period June 2022 to July 2023, the Policy Framework stipulated that the Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) would accept a recommendation from the Parole Board only where:
The Policy Framework and associated guidance were updated on 17 July and has been applied to all outstanding Parole Board recommendations at that date and all recommendations received after that date. Under the terms of the Policy, the Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) will accept a recommendation from the Parole Board (to approve an ISP for open conditions) only where:
Below is a breakdown of how many times the Secretary of State for Justice has accepted and not accepted the Parole Board’s recommendation to move prisoners to open conditions in the last five calendar years
Year | Accepted | Not Accepted | Total | % of recommendations rejected |
2019 | 596 | 16 | 612 | 3% |
2020 | 617 | 27 | 644 | 4% |
2021 | 534 | 36 | 570 | 6% |
2022 | 99 | 156 | 255 | 61% |
2023 | 260 | 259 | 519 | 50% |
There is no current power for the Government to overrule a Parole Board release decision. The Lord Chancellor has decided to proceed with implementation of the referral power in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 which will give the Secretary of State the ability to directly refer certain Parole Board decisions in ‘top tier’ cases to the High Court for a second look. ‘Top tier’ cases include certain offenders convicted of murder, rape, terrorism, or terrorism connected offences, or causing or allowing the death of a child. This power will create a new role for the High Court to conduct risk assessments and hearings along similar lines to the Parole Board, to decide whether the statutory test for release has been met in the cases referred to it.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison staff (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the prison workforce had received training to deal with extremist prisoners as of 26 April in each year since 2017.
Answered by Edward Argar
The method for recording counter terrorism training data has changed over time, so the information requested cannot be provided. Since December 2021, over 17,000 directly employed HMPPS prison staff have been trained in counter terrorism (through the Awareness for Staff on Prevent Extremism and Counter Terrorism Strategy (ASPECTS) programme).
ASPECTS is delivered by counter-terrorist specialists and since 2017, all newly recruited Prison Officers have received ASPECTS training as part of their initial foundation training.
Data as a proportion of the workforce also cannot be provided as records include staff who have since left the prison service and may also include staff who have attended training more than once. The figure also does not include training figures for non-directly employed staff (i.e. those working in private prisons).
The below table shows the number of individuals convicted under Terrorism legislation (TACT), or of other offences considered to have a terrorism connection (TACT-connected), who were being managed by the Probation Service in each year since 2020.
Year | No. under probation supervision. |
2020 | 132 |
2021 | 239 |
2022 | 217 |
2023 | 254 |
2024 | 234 |
Data can only be provided since 2020 as that is when the information began to be recorded centrally.
All high-risk offenders released on licence are managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, through which police, probation, the prison service and other agencies work together to keep the public safe. Upon release, terrorist offenders are subject to robust risk management, and stringent controls which severely limit their activity. This can include extended periods of electronic monitoring, accommodation in Approved Premises, and polygraph testing.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of the criteria for releasing prisoners who have committed a serious crime.
Answered by Edward Argar
This Government has ensured that the courts have the fullest range of sentencing powers available to deal effectively with serious offenders, with release provisions that protect the public.
Those who commit the most serious offences may be given a life sentence, where the court sets a minimum period in custody (the tariff) after which the prisoner may be released by the Parole Board only if it is satisfied that detention is no longer necessary to protect the public. Other serious sexual and violent offenders may be given an Extended Determinate Sentence or a Sentence for Offenders of Particular Concern where they must serve their custodial term in full unless the Parole Board assesses they are safe to release before that point, having served at least two-thirds in prison. In the Victims and Prisoners Bill, we are strengthening the test which the Parole Board must apply when considering the release of prisoners. The new test makes clear that protecting the public must be the sole consideration - a prisoner must not be released unless there is no more than minimal risk of the prisoner committing a further offence that would cause serious harm. We also introduced a Serious Terrorism Sentence where a minimum custodial period of 14 years is imposed which must be served in full.
Most prisoners serve a standard determinate sentence of imprisonment which, in most cases, means release is automatic at the half-way point on licence for the remainder of the sentence. In the Police Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, for those sentenced to 4 years or more for certain serious sexual and violent offences, we strengthened the provisions to require those offenders to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison, to better reflect the severity of their crimes. The Act also introduced a new power to prevent the automatic release of prisoners who receive a standard determinate sentence, if they pose a danger to the public.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people imprisoned for terror-related offences in each year since 2010 held a previous terror-related conviction and have been re-admitted to prison for subsequent terror-related convictions.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
Between January 2013 and December 2020, 7 individuals convicted of a terrorist offence (who have been convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 2006) have been released from prison and then convicted of a further terrorist offence (under the Terrorism Act 2000 and 2006) in England and Wales. Unfortunately, we will be unable to break down this figure further as it may reveal sensitive personal data.
Prior to 2013, release data on Terrorism Act offenders was held at a local and regional level by relevant law enforcement partners, but not recorded centrally by the Ministry of Justice, meaning we are unable to provide data before 2013. Recidivism rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland are not held by the Ministry of Justice as prisons are a devolved matter.
From the year ending June 2014 to year ending June 2020 the number of terrorist prisoners released from prison custody was 387 in Great Britain. This number includes historical terrorism cases which pre-date the introduction of the Terrorist Acts (2000 & 2006) and where an individual was imprisoned pre-2001 following a terrorist investigation, acts of terrorism, or for membership of a proscribed organisation.
We use a range of rehabilitation approaches to manage terrorists before and after they are released from custody and use a robust multi-agency approach to monitor extremists released into the community. Our new legislation means terrorists now face tougher sentences, will stay in prison for longer and be subject to appropriately strict licence conditions on release.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people convicted of terrorism-related charges have been released in each year since 2010.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Home Office collects data from Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service and the Scottish Prisons Service on the number of terrorist prisoners released in Great Britain.
These data are published quarterly in ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 statistics’, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people aged (a) 18, (b) 19, and (c) 20 were held in custodial facilities where areas were shared with older prisoners for terrorism offences in 2019.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Please see the below tables in response to PQ75226, PQ75227, PQ75228, PQ75229, PQ75230 and PQ75231:
PQ 75226: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function and age; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
|
|
|
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
Age |
|
|
18 | 160 | 795 |
19 | 191 | 1,236 |
20 | 211 | 1,595 |
PQ 75227: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function, age and custody status; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
Remand |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 7 | 324 |
19 | 0 | 323 |
20 | 0 | 314 |
Sentenced |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 153 | 467 |
19 | 191 | 905 |
20 | 211 | 1,266 |
Non-criminal(2) |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 0 | 4 |
19 | 0 | 8 |
20 | 0 | 15 |
PQ 75228: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function, age and sex; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
Male |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 160 | 775 |
19 | 191 | 1,193 |
20 | 211 | 1,543 |
Female |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 0 | 20 |
19 | 0 | 43 |
20 | 0 | 52 |
PQ 75229: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function, age and ethnicity group; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
White |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 69 | 448 |
19 | 62 | 727 |
20 | 72 | 934 |
Black |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 45 | 177 |
19 | 72 | 241 |
20 | 90 | 327 |
Asian |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 28 | 68 |
19 | 28 | 128 |
20 | 18 | 161 |
Mixed |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 12 | 76 |
19 | 18 | 102 |
20 | 24 | 137 |
Other ethnic group |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 6 | 20 |
Not stated / Not recorded |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 0 | 6 |
19 | 1 | 6 |
20 | 1 | 5 |
PQ 75230: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function, age and 'Private / Public prison split'; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
Contracted Out ("Private") |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 0 | 168 |
19 | 0 | 233 |
20 | 0 | 293 |
Public |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 160 | 627 |
19 | 191 | 1,003 |
20 | 211 | 1,302 |
PQ 75231: Prison population aged 18-20, by prison function, age and offence group; as at 30 June 2019, England & Wales(3) | ||
| Sole-function under-21 YOIs(1) | Dual-designated prisons |
Total | 562 | 3,626 |
Burglary |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 12 | 79 |
19 | 12 | 114 |
20 | 12 | 152 |
Drug Offences |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 17 | 133 |
19 | 48 | 273 |
20 | 61 | 367 |
Robbery |
|
|
Age |
|
|
18 | 29 | 125 |
19 | 37 | 176 |
20 | 31 | 234 |
Sexual offences |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 10 | 34 |
19 | 10 | 61 |
20 | 6 | 109 |
Violence against the person |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 56 | 233 |
19 | 58 | 303 |
20 | 66 | 370 |
Other offences(4) |
| |
Age |
|
|
18 | 36 | 191 |
19 | 26 | 309 |
20 | 35 | 363 |
In regard to PQ75232 and PQ75233, this information is not held centrally.
Offenders aged 18, 19 and 20 are sentenced to Detention in a Young Offender Institution (DYOI), however the dual designation of institutions as both HMP and YOI means the majority are held in establishment also holding adult prisoners aged 21 or over. Under dual designation, prisoners aged 18,19 and 20 do not share cells with adult prisoners, unless exceptional circumstance apply and on a case-by-case basis. Separation from adult prisoners in other areas of the prison varies by location (including separated wings). There are two designated YOIs for sentenced prisoners aged 18,19 and 20 (HMYOI Feltham (B) and HMYOI Aylesbury). As necessary, these prisoners from YOIs move to an adult prison when they turn 21.
Notes
(1) These figures include Sole-function YOIs and Youth Custody Service (YCS) YOIs. Sole-function YOIs hold solely 18-20 year olds and those that turn 21 who are due for imminent release or who are pending transfer into an adult prison
YCS YOIs hold 15-17 year olds and those that turn 18 who are due for imminent release or who are pending transfer into an 18+ YOI.
The ‘Sole-function YOIs' are:
- HMYOI Aylesbury
- HMYOI Feltham (B) (separate site to the YCS YOI)
The YCS YOIs are:
- HMYOI Cookham Wood
- HMYOI Werrington
- HMYOI Feltham (A) (separate site to the 18-20 YOI)
- HMYOI Wetherby
Other establishments holding 18-20 year olds share facilities with older prisoners ('Dual designated prisons')
More information can be found on the 'Prisons and their resettlement providers' page on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prisons-and-their-resettlement-providers
(2) The ‘non-criminal’ population comprises:
- Those who have served their appropriate custodial term for a criminal offence but are then served with an IS91 ‘authorisation to hold on immigration detention grounds’ (held in prison awaiting deportation).
- Those whose sole offence is not having appropriate immigration paperwork, and so would be held in an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).
(3) Part (i) of PQ75231 is of disproportionate cost to identify.
(4) Other offences include: 'non-burglary' Theft Offences, Criminal damage and arson, Possession of Weapons, Public order offences, Miscellaneous crimes against society, Fraud offences, Summary offences and 'Offence not recorded'.
Data sources and quality: The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.