Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released on Fridays in the last quarter of 2022; and what steps his department is taking to prepare to implement the Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill.

Prisoner releases data for the fourth quarter of 2022 are not yet available. Data covering this period are scheduled for release on Thursday 27 April 2022, as part of the next Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication.

The Government is supporting the Member for Barrow and Furness, Simon Fell MP’s, Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Bill. The Bill has been introduced to the House of Lords and is awaiting its second reading, Sponsored by Lord Bird. My department is preparing a policy framework to provide guidance on decisions for eligible offenders, in consultation with stakeholders. Should the Bill pass all stages of its parliamentary passage, the policy will be published after Royal Assent.