Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that drug users receive (a) suitable accommodation and (b) access to addiction support services after they leave prison.

Assisting offenders to secure suitable accommodation upon their release is a vital part of the Government’s approach to reducing reoffending and is especially important for those who struggle with substance misuse. Through the commencement of the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017), Prisons and Probation providers will be subject to the new duty to refer to the local housing authority someone who might be at risk of becoming homeless, including drug users. Additionally, as part of our prison reforms a shared accommodation performance measure, for Prison Governors and Probation Providers is being considered to incentivise collaboration and increase the likelihood of offenders securing suitable accommodation. We are also exploring with our health partners what more we can do to give probation the tools they need to enable effective substance misuse treatment upon release. This will be supported by work to improve systems for sending health information to community-based providers in order to support continued treatment through the gate.