Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Dan Aldridge

Tuesday 10th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Dan Aldridge (Weston-super-Mare) (Lab)]

15. What steps her Department is taking to help reduce reoffending.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

We will expand our transitional accommodation service and launch employment councils to strengthen the relationship between employers and HM Prison and Probation Service.

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

Absolutely; public safety is our No. 1 priority and new technology gives us every advantage to do things differently. That is one of the things that the independent sentencing review under David Gauke will be looking at.

[Dan Aldridge]

Providing quality education and training for offenders is one of the most effective ways of reducing reoffending. Weston College in Weston-super-Mare runs a transformational prison education programme across the south-west of England, which supports successful rehabilitation, resettlement and employment of offenders on release. Can the Minister advise what steps the Department is taking to ensure that more offenders can develop the skills they need to successfully gain employment and reintegrate into society?

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

I very much welcome the work that Weston College does in prisons. We are also developing our training offer for employers in areas such as rail tracks and construction, and HMPPS’s Creating future opportunities programme is working to improve the employability of offenders in both prison and the community.