Oral Answers to Questions

Alison Griffiths Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Alex Davies-Jones]

My hon. Friend raises a very important point. Victims should be listened to, believed and supported, and the Government are committed to ensuring that every single victim of sexual offending feels heard, supported and able to access the information and specialist support services that they need. As part of our flagship strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we are committed to preventing these awful crimes, as I have said, and this is a commitment that we are signed up to across Government, including with the Department for Transport. I regularly meet with my counterparts in that Department and others to ensure that the Departments are joined up in our approach to tackle these crimes wherever they exist.

[Alison Griffiths (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton) (Con)]

This Government’s early release scheme has put 80,000 criminals back on our streets. They have gone on to commit crimes again and again. Last year, more serious violent and sexual crimes were committed by ex-offenders than in any previous year on record, and around 40 prisoners a day now leave prison homeless. If the Government will continue to release unrehabilitated criminals on to our streets, why have they allowed 11 probation hostels—the very places meant to supervise them—to close under their watch?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I will take no lectures from the Conservative party, who left us in this position in the first place, with the result that we have had to make these difficult decisions to keep all our citizens safe. The Government remain steadfast in our commitment to halve violence against women and girls, and the safety of victims and the communities we represent remains central to release decisions. Any offender released from prison will be controlled under strict licensing conditions in the community. We are contacting every affected victim where possible and investing £18.9 million in additional support, including a new national helpline, which I had the privilege of visiting in person last week.