Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve (a) communication with HMRC for prisoners and (b) awareness of tax matters affecting prisoners within Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.

We do not hold data on the reoffending impact of tax debts accrued as a result of a lack of effective communication with HMRC after a person is taken into custody. We are aware anecdotally, however, of problem debt among the prison population and of a possible relationship between debt and further offending. This includes both licit debts owed to creditors and illicit debts owed to criminals in custody and the community.

Currently, under the enhanced Through The Gate (eTTG) specification, the Basic Custody Screening Tool assessment is completed at reception. If that assessment identifies a need around tax, resettlement staff can facilitate a call between the prisoner and HMRC. This support will continue after the launch of the new, unified probation service on 26 June this year, although probation regions may arrange those services in different ways or draw on support from specialist providers.

There is also good work being done in a number of prisons by organisations such as RIFT Social Enterprise, which helps prisoners understand their tax affairs and claim tax refunds.