Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he will take to ensure that prisoners satisfy the release requirements set out in the Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill 2019-21.

The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill will end early release for the most serious terrorist offenders.

The new ‘Serious Terrorism Sentence’ for the most serious and dangerous offenders will carry a minimum of 14 years to be spent in custody, with an extended licence period between 7 and 25 years. We are also ending early release for the most serious offenders who receive Extended Determinate Sentences – instead the whole custodial period will be served in prison and they will serve up to 10 years on licence.

For offenders sentenced under either of these provisions, they will not be considered by the Parole Board for discretionary release, meaning the prospect of early release for these offenders is removed. This sends a clear message that this Government treats this kind of offending incredibly seriously.