Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people (a) sentenced to, and (b) still serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection have previously been living in local authority care.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

On 1 September, the Lord Chancellor announced that the Government will bring an end to the IPP sentence for those who continue to serve it and will bring forward legislation to do this by the end of this Parliament.

The Government also remains determined to support the rehabilitation of IPP prisoners, through the IPP Action Plan, which we published on 9 July 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the annual cost to the NHS arising from duplicated referrals, repeated diagnostic investigations and missed outpatient appointments associated with asylum seeker dispersal.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) serving, and (b) not serving an IPP sentence have been detained under the Section 47/49 pathway before release from prison, since 2016.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Section 47/49 of the Mental Health Act (1983) allows for the transfer of a serving prisoners to psychiatric hospital, where the statutory criteria for transfer under the Act are met. The specific information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many IPP prisoners who completed the Building Better Choices programme and were recalled in 2025 were recalled without being charged with a further offence.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Building Choices is an accredited cognitive-behavioural programme informed by the latest evidence and thinking about what works to reduce reoffending. It is accredited for delivery to adult men and women in prison and community settings and is inclusive, open to those with learning disabilities and challenges (LDC). Building Choices provides a person-centred, needs-led approach which enables participants to explore both offence-specific and wider antisocial behaviours to target the versatility of their offending. Rollout has completed across custody and community, beginning with a small number of Design Test sites in December 2023 and full rollout ending in October 2025.

On 1 September, the Lord Chancellor announced that the Government will bring an end to the IPP sentence for those who continue to serve it and will bring forward legislation to do this by the end of this Parliament. These are complex cases, involving important public protection and victim considerations. Reform will take time to get right.

The Government also remains determined to support the rehabilitation of IPP prisoners, through the IPP Action Plan, which we published on 9 July 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving an IPP sentence who had completed (a) the Building Better Choices programme and (b) any successor programme providing equivalent offending behaviour intervention were recalled to custody in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Building Choices is an accredited cognitive-behavioural programme informed by the latest evidence and thinking about what works to reduce reoffending. It is accredited for delivery to adult men and women in prison and community settings and is inclusive, open to those with learning disabilities and challenges (LDC). Building Choices provides a person-centred, needs-led approach which enables participants to explore both offence-specific and wider antisocial behaviours to target the versatility of their offending. Rollout has completed across custody and community, beginning with a small number of Design Test sites in December 2023 and full rollout ending in October 2025.

On 1 September, the Lord Chancellor announced that the Government will bring an end to the IPP sentence for those who continue to serve it and will bring forward legislation to do this by the end of this Parliament. These are complex cases, involving important public protection and victim considerations. Reform will take time to get right.

The Government also remains determined to support the rehabilitation of IPP prisoners, through the IPP Action Plan, which we published on 9 July 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving coordination between asylum dispersal decisions and continuity of NHS care.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) work in partnership on matters relating to the health of the asylum-seeking cohort. The subject of continuity of healthcare is a key topic referenced in the National Partnership Agreement, a document setting our key working principles for 2025-28. Priority 5 details that we are working on continuity of access to health and wellbeing support at the move on stage.

You can find more information here: National partnership agreement on meeting the health and wellbeing needs for people seeking asylum in England 2025-2028 (accessible) - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper, what progress her Department has made on further embedding education on legal rights, the justice system and the rule of law across the school curriculum, including through the expansion of earlier citizenship education in primary schools covering law and rights.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published in November 2025, recommended that all pupils are taught citizenship content at primary as a statutory part of the curriculum, and that a new programme of study should ensure that pupils develop an understanding of rules and laws, why they are important, who makes them and the consequences of not following them.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is considering the recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review in line with the government’s ambition to transform technical education from age 14 to 16.

The department expects there will be a public consultation on the proposals for the curriculum and assessment system in due course.

Through the existing national curriculum for citizenship, pupils are taught about the nature of rules and laws and the justice and legal systems, as well as different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) serving, (b) not serving an IPP sentence have been released directly into the community from a secure hospital, since 2016.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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