To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were resident in open prisons who were deemed unsuitable for release on temporary licence in each of the last 12 months. (191903)

Release on temporary licence is the mechanism that enables prisoners to participate in necessary activities, outside of the prison establishment, that directly contribute to their resettlement into the community and their development of a purposeful law abiding life. The eligibility requirements are set out in Prison Service Order 6300 Release on Temporary Licence, which is available on the Prison Service website. Eligible prisoners must pass a rigorous risk assessment before temporary release is granted.

Information on those considered unsuitable for release under temporary licence is not centrally available, would require manual inspection of individual prisoners’ records and could not be provided without disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were resident in open prisons who had not completed relevant offender management or treatment programmes in the closed estate in each of the last 12 months. (191904)

Prior to allocation to an open prison, prisoners are assessed to ensure that the level of risk that they present can be safely managed in open conditions. The assessment will take account of a range of factors including participation in activities such as offending behaviour and treatment programmes where appropriate. However, some programmes are also delivered in open prisons. This information is therefore currently not available.