Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the merits of transferring people who remain on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences despite their abolition in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

There are no plans to transfer those still serving IPP sentences on to other types of sentence. Where prisoners serving an IPP sentence have completed their minimum term and not yet been released, it is because the independent Parole Board has determined that their risk remains too high for them to be safely managed in the community. It would, therefore, be irresponsible to change their IPP sentence into one which guarantees their automatic (and, in many cases, immediate) release, when we know that the Parole Board has concluded that they are not safe to be released.

All IPP prisoners who have passed their tariff date have their cases regularly reviewed by the independent Parole Board. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have been and continue to review the cases of post tariff IPP prisoners who have failed to achieve release or progression to open prison conditions, despite two or more parole reviews, as well as those who received a tariff of 2 years or under. These reviews enable HMPPS Psychology Services to consult with those managing prisoners in order to shape pathways towards progression. As of October 2020, over 1,500 reviews have taken place, with 339 IPP prisoners from this cohort having achieved release, and a further 422 a progressive move to open conditions.

We will continue to ensure that IPP prisoners are given every opportunity to progress towards the point where the Parole Board judges that their risk may now be effectively managed in the community. Our primary responsibility is to protect the public.