Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress she has made on progressing prisoners who remain in custody on Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences and who have served their minimum term towards release from incarceration.

This Government is focused, as a matter of urgency, on ensuring that all serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) prisoners have the opportunity to reduce their risk, via effective and deliverable sentence plans, as well as supporting them to engage fully with those plans. We will shortly be publishing a refreshed IPP Action Plan, that is being worked on and will be delivered by very senior officials in HM Prison and Probation Service. More broadly, we continue to focus on delivering good education, training and work opportunities in prison to build skills alongside support for IPP prisoners to access employment and accommodation on release.

It is right that IPP sentences were abolished, and we are committed to making further progress towards a safe and sustainable release for those serving the IPP sentence, but not in a way that impacts public protection. The Government will continue to consult with organisations and campaign groups to ensure it takes the appropriate course of action to support those still serving IPP sentences.