Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government by what date they expect all prisoners to be electronically tagged before their release.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Installation of Electronic Monitoring prior to release was piloted in 2025 across 6 prisons. The success of the pilot over the 6-month pilot has resulted in a planned national rollout starting in December 2026. This will enable a majority of those eligible for electronic monitoring to be tagged pre-release. We are committed to further rollout as quickly as is operationally safe and feasible to do so.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the prisoners released on 13 October were not electronically tagged before their release from prison.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Government reforms will ensure that a record number of prison leavers are subject to electronic monitoring tags on release. The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics on electronic monitoring and on total prisoner releases every three months (as part of the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Quarterly and Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publications).
It is vital that the government and the public have confidence that the information published by the department is fully assured so that it is accurate and not misleading. The requested information forms a subset of the data underpinning total release statistics and electronic monitoring statistics intended for future publication and, therefore, cannot be disclosed.
We will publish the next electronic monitoring statistics, covering the October period, as planned in January 2027. Total prison release statistics for October to December will be published as planned in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly in April 2027.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the prisoners released on 13 October remain untagged.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Government reforms will ensure that a record number of prison leavers are subject to electronic monitoring tags on release. The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics on electronic monitoring and on total prisoner releases every three months (as part of the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Quarterly and Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publications).
It is vital that the government and the public have confidence that the information published by the department is fully assured so that it is accurate and not misleading. The requested information forms a subset of the data underpinning total release statistics and electronic monitoring statistics intended for future publication and, therefore, cannot be disclosed.
We will publish the next electronic monitoring statistics, covering the October period, as planned in January 2027. Total prison release statistics for October to December will be published as planned in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly in April 2027.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the prisoners released on 1 October remain untagged.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Government reforms will ensure that a record number of prison leavers are subject to electronic monitoring tags on release. The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics on electronic monitoring and on total prisoner releases every three months (as part of the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Quarterly and Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publications).
It is vital that the government and the public have confidence that the information published by the department is fully assured so that it is accurate and not misleading. The requested information forms a subset of the data underpinning total release statistics and electronic monitoring statistics intended for future publication and, therefore, cannot be disclosed.
We will publish the next electronic monitoring statistics, covering the October period, as planned in January 2027. Total prison release statistics for October to December will be published as planned in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly in April 2027.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the prisoners released on 1 October were not electronically tagged before their release from prison.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Government reforms will ensure that a record number of prison leavers are subject to electronic monitoring tags on release. The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics on electronic monitoring and on total prisoner releases every three months (as part of the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Quarterly and Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publications).
It is vital that the government and the public have confidence that the information published by the department is fully assured so that it is accurate and not misleading. The requested information forms a subset of the data underpinning total release statistics and electronic monitoring statistics intended for future publication and, therefore, cannot be disclosed.
We will publish the next electronic monitoring statistics, covering the October period, as planned in January 2027. Total prison release statistics for October to December will be published as planned in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly in April 2027.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners released in the last six months were not tagged before their release from prison.
Answered by Lord Lemos - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Government reforms will ensure that a record number of prison leavers are subject to electronic monitoring tags on release. The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics on electronic monitoring and on total prisoner releases every three months (as part of the Electronic Monitoring Statistics Quarterly and Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publications).
It is vital that the government and the public have confidence that the information published by the department is fully assured so that it is accurate and not misleading. The requested information forms a subset of the data underpinning total release statistics and electronic monitoring statistics intended for future publication and, therefore, cannot be disclosed.
We will publish the next electronic monitoring statistics, covering the October period, as planned in January 2027. Total prison release statistics for October to December will be published as planned in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly in April 2027.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many criminals convicted of offences related to child grooming are expected to be released at 50% of their custodial sentence in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Levitt
I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.
The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.
More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.
It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many criminals convicted of sexual assault are expected to be released at 50% or 33% of their custodial sentence in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Levitt
I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.
The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.
More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.
It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many criminals convicted of rape are expected to be released at 50% of their custodial sentence in 2026.
Answered by Baroness Levitt
I would like to express my sympathy for all victims of these appalling crimes. This Government inherited a prisons system which was days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action in order to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, through measures which include the progression model which will help ensure that there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe. The worst thing for victims would be to run out of prison space and not be able to lock up dangerous offenders.
The progression model amends release points for offenders on Standard Determinate Sentences.
More than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences like Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences will be unaffected by these reforms and will be kept in prison for the same length of time as they are at present. Once released, offenders will be managed in the community under strict licence conditions. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.
It is not possible to know future release data precisely so far in advance, including because eligible offenders might be sentenced to additional time in prison between now and implementation, nor can we estimate any added days for bad behaviour which will also determine their release point.
The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes Accredited Official Statistics on prisoner releases as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) publication.
Asked by: Lord Keen of Elie (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what preparations they have made to make chemical castration mandatory for certain serious sexual offenders, and by what date will the policy be introduced.
Answered by Lord Timpson
As part of the Government’s efforts to crackdown on sex crimes, the Government has committed to extending Medication to Manage Problematic Sexual Arousal (MMPSA) to twenty prisons, ramped up from the current four in the South West.
MMPSA is a pharmaceutical intervention prescribed by clinicians to individuals, based on clinical need; medication can be given in the form of testosterone suppressing medication known as anti-androgens and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitiors (SSRIs). There is evidence of serious medium and longer-term side effects and risks associated with taking anti-androgens, which need to be carefully monitored by clinicians whilst a patient is taking them.
MMPSA is most effective when used alongside psychological interventions which includes accredited offending behaviour programmes, coordinated support such as therapy and probation supervision. This integrated approach ensures that public safety is prioritised.
The evidence of outcomes related to a reduction in psychological distress is building. To strengthen our evidence base, the Government is going further than the Independent Sentencing Review recommendation by committing to extending and expanding the existing MMPSA feasibility pilot beyond the South-West region, to two additional regions, the North East and the North West, as the first steps towards a national roll-out. We are continuing to work closely with our partners across health and justice agencies to inform our plans for implementation throughout the Autumn.
Alongside the expansion of the pilot, we are working closely with experts to ensure all future decisions are based on strong evidence which prioritises public safety, including through our collaboration with Nottingham Trent University to conduct a Randomised Controlled Trial to understand the effectiveness of SSRIs in managing problematic sexual behaviours.
We are also conducting international research to inform our approach to MMPSA. This has included hosting an expert roundtable with international representation from Sweden and Germany, and targeted engagement with countries who use this medication, as recommended in the Review. A summary of the evidence available will be deposited in the House Library.
As the evidence builds, it is right we consider ways we can increase the use of MMPSA and we will continue to explore whether we might mandate this treatment in future.