We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. That is why we have committed to break the cycle of reoffending by better supporting prisons to link up with employers and the voluntary sector to get more people with convictions into work.<\/p>
<\/p>
Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) allows prisoners to be released temporarily into the community for specific purposes, including to engage in employment. Prisoners working on ROTL are paid the same as their counterparts in the community and are subject to the same income tax, National Insurance and child support requirements, as well as other court ordered deductions.<\/p>
<\/p>
In addition, the Prisoners\u2019 Earnings Act 1996 (PEA) gives governors the power to deduct up to and including 40% from prisoners\u2019 earnings on ROTL. Currently, the money deducted is given to the charity Victim Support. An average of £296 per prisoner per month was raised through the levy; totalling £4.2 million raised for the year ending March 2024.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/5364", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Timpson"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Timpson"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2024-09-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2024-09-18T10:41:17.927Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2024-09-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable prisoners with work outside the confines of prison to be paid a wage.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3691", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Roberts of Llandudno"} ], "uin" : "HL988"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1586729", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1586729/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are not able to provide the information in the formats requested, because some parts are not held centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. As data for work in custody were not collected during the period affected by the pandemic, the latest data published on numbers working in prisons is contained in the HMPPS Annual Digest 2019/20 (publishing.service.gov.uk)<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p>
BCS Q B4.12: Were you working before you came to custody?<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Gender<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Count of Assessments<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Percentage<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> Employed<\/p><\/td> Female<\/p><\/td> 1010<\/p><\/td> 0.99%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Employed<\/p><\/td> Male<\/p><\/td> 21151<\/p><\/td> 20.78%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Employed<\/p><\/td> Not disclosed<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 0.00%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unemployed<\/p><\/td> Female<\/p><\/td> 6513<\/p><\/td> 6.40%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unemployed<\/p><\/td> Male<\/p><\/td> 55024<\/p><\/td> 54.05%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unemployed<\/p><\/td> Not disclosed<\/p><\/td> 6<\/p><\/td> 0.01%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unavailable for work<\/p><\/td> Female<\/p><\/td> 2265<\/p><\/td> 2.22%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unavailable for work<\/p><\/td> Male<\/p><\/td> 8519<\/p><\/td> 8.37%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Retired<\/p><\/td> Female<\/p><\/td> 69<\/p><\/td> 0.07%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Retired<\/p><\/td> Male<\/p><\/td> 1097<\/p><\/td> 1.08%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Retired<\/p><\/td> Not disclosed<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 0.00%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Self-employed<\/p><\/td> Female<\/p><\/td> 106<\/p><\/td> 0.10%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Self-employed<\/p><\/td> Male<\/p><\/td> 6045<\/p><\/td> 5.94%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Self-employed<\/p><\/td> Not disclosed<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td> 0.00%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/p><\/td> Count:<\/p><\/td> 101808<\/p><\/td> 100.00%<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> <\/p> Note: Slight discrepancies in the figures from those published in response to question 196156 are likely to be due to the deletion of offender records and/or BCS responses from the OASys application since those figures were published.<\/p> As was stated in the earlier answer, these figures are compiled from information the prisoners have provided the assessor to enter into the BCS and include not only prisoners sentenced in respect of a criminal offence, but also those received into custody on remand. Given the information is provided by the prisoners themselves and is not assessed, there will always be a margin of error in the figures. A proportion of prisoners will enter custody multiple times each year and may provide different answers to these questions over time.<\/p> <\/p> Prisons must be places of rehabilitation, which will ultimately reduce reoffending. Our Education and Employment strategy sets out how we will transform our approach to ensure prisoners develop the skills they need to secure employment on release. We have overhauled the prison education system and we implemented our new prison education contracts. Governors control their budget, including the power to choose providers and deliver learning that will best support their prisoners. We are engaging with employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and have consulted on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through ROTL.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4106", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Swindon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Robert Buckland"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-24T15:55:10.78Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196156 on Prisoners: employment, for each of the figures given to provide the proportion of (a) men and (b) women.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4120", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kate Green"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stretford and Urmston"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kate Green"}
], "uin" : "263857"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1015433", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1015433/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We collect data on the pre-imprisonment status employment status of individuals within 72 hours of them entering custody using the Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCS). For the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, these figures are set out in the table below:<\/p> <\/p> BCS Q B4.12: Were you working before you came to custody?<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Count of Assessments<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Percentage<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> Employed<\/p><\/td> 22177<\/p><\/td> 21.77%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unemployed<\/p><\/td> 61586<\/p><\/td> 60.44%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Unavailable for work<\/p><\/td> 10797<\/p><\/td> 10.60%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Retired<\/p><\/td> 1168<\/p><\/td> 1.15%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Self-employed<\/p><\/td> 6161<\/p><\/td> 6.05%<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Count:<\/p><\/td> 101889<\/p><\/td> 100.00%<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> <\/p> It should be noted that these figures are compiled from information the prisoners have provided the assessor to enter into the BCS, and include not only prisoners sentenced in respect of a criminal offence, but also those received into custody on remand. Given the information is provided by the prisoners themselves and is not assessed, there will always be a margin of error in the figures. A proportion of prisoners will enter custody multiple times each year and may provide different answers to these questions over time.<\/p> <\/p> Reoffending is costing society approximately £15 billion a year. Effective rehabilitation needs prisoners to be willing to commit to change, take advice, learn new skills and take opportunities to work. For those individuals willing to engage, the prison system must deliver. That is why we launched the Education and Employment strategy to create a system where each prisoner is set on a path to employment from the outset. We are empowering governors to commission education provision that leads to work, we are engaging with employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and have consulted on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through ROTL.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4137", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rory Stewart"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Penrith and The Border"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rory Stewart"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-03T16:42:17.35Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of offenders who are in paid work at the time of being sent to prison.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1565", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Philip Davies"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Shipley"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Philip Davies"}
], "uin" : "196156"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/805349", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/805349/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We want prison to be places of hard work and discipline and we are empowering governors to equip prisoners with the skills that they know they need. We do not stipulate a minimum number of hours of purposeful activity that each prisoner should undertake. The type of activity available is guided by the function and the facilities of each prison. This can include workshops; wing based work (such as cleaning and servery work); offending behaviour programmes and education. There is no single measure of the number of sessions required and attendance could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-12-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-12-20T11:47:47.483Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-12-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours of purposeful engagement in activity is required of a prisoner and what the average number of sessions of purposeful activity undertaken by a prisoner has been in each prison in the last 12 months.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Richard Burgon"}
], "uin" : "119021"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/777875", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/777875/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We do not currently collate information centrally for the average number of hours prisoners spend on daily purposeful activity and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.<\/p> <\/p> We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn.<\/p> <\/p> We have empowered Governors so they have more freedom to innovate and make the best decisions for their prisons. By next year, every governor will be able to tailor education and training to the needs of their prisoners, providing offenders the right support and challenge to help turn their backs on crime.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3980", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Surrey"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Sam Gyimah"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-10-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-10-30T17:19:05.1Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2017-10-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours was that prisoners spent on purposeful activity in each day in (a) England and Wales and (b) each prison in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Richard Burgon"}
], "uin" : "109756"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/525023", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/525023/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " All prisons provide opportunities for prisoners to work and learn new skills to help support their rehabilitation. We work continuously with employers and prisons to create new opportunities for work experience and employment, and our programme of reform will build on this, so that prisons can help offenders get the skills and qualifications they need to make a success of life on the outside.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1453", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Selous"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Selous"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-06-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-06-27T09:05:25.31Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-06-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Prisoners: Employment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the provision of meaningful employment to prisoners in all categories of prison.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4023", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Karen Lumley"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Redditch"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Karen Lumley"}
], "uin" : "40526"}
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