Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the evidential basis was for his decision to establish five new community prisons for women.

We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. The drivers for reform of our estate for women offenders share similarities with the adult male estate, although the issues they face are different. We are developing a strategy for female offenders to improve outcomes for women in the community and custody.