7th Report – Ending the cycle of reoffending – part one: rehabilitation in prisons

The government partially accepts, but responds by detailing HMPPS commitments to comprehensive staff induction, ongoing training, and career development through a Workforce Planning Guide and Career Pathways framework, rather than committing to set out specific rehabilitation measures in the annual statement on prison capacity.

The government responds by acknowledging the recommendation for greater Governor involvement in recruitment and describes ongoing work to design an approach for this, detailing challenges with previous local recruitment pilots, completely deflecting from the recommendation to produce a comprehensive workforce plan.

The government's response focuses on HMPPS's contract management practices, the new Procurement Act 2023, and initiatives to simplify procurement and engage SMEs and VCSEs, thus deflecting from the recommendation to detail how it will address the £1.8bn prison maintenance backlog.

The government's response explains its decision to focus on measuring 'purposeful activity' for prisoners, detailing the rollout of a new Digital Prisons Service Activities and Appointments tool to improve data quality, thereby deflecting from the recommendation on Governor autonomy, turnover, and support.

The government's response details measures in the Sentencing Bill to address the prison remand population and improve bail use, completely bypassing the recommendation on HMPPS's contract management and procurement processes.

The government's response focuses on remand prisoners' access to the prison regime and purposeful activity, completely ignoring the recommendation for specific training on procurement and contract management for governors and a new centralised advice unit.

The government's response outlines ongoing efforts to strengthen prison education, including maximizing attendance, implementing Working Week prototypes, and improving quality and support services. It does not set out how it plans to implement the earned progression scheme or commit to publishing its details within six months.

The government's response outlines its commitment to enabling prisoner access to higher education and states that the MoJ and DfE will review recommendations on student finance for prisoners, without addressing the recommendation to review and update the operational framework for Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL).

The government's response highlights existing healthcare and mental health interventions for women in prison, including a recent review and Mental Health Bill reforms, but does not address the general recommendation for all remand prisoners to access all parts of the regime or provide a 3-year plan for doing so.

The government partially accepts, committing to reviewing the Justice and Education Select Committee’s recommendations on access to student finance for prisoners, including the six-year funding rule, to inform future policy decisions. It notes existing work with partners and charitable grants for some prisoners.

The government's response focuses on its existing practices for workforce data transparency and why it does not publish data on skilled worker visas, completely deflecting from the recommendation about mandatory training for staff upon recruitment and promotion.

The government accepts the recommendation to publish a comprehensive workforce plan, stating the format and timing will be determined later, but does not address the specific request to publish granular workforce data on vacancy rates, retirement eligibility, or skilled worker visas.

The government's response focuses on current and future investment in prison estate maintenance, including specific funding amounts and how priorities are set, entirely deflecting from the recommendation about Governors having ultimate decision-making power in recruitment and mandatory face-to-face interviews.

The government's response discusses its existing framework for Governor empowerment (Free, Flex, Fixed) and ongoing review of Governor autonomy, noting the constraints of civil service guidelines, thereby deflecting from the recommendation concerning dire living conditions and the prison maintenance backlog.

The government's response describes the new 'Progression Model' and plans for tougher punishments for prisoner rule-breaking, stating a factsheet has already been published, completely deflecting from the recommendation about the inefficiency and inflexibility of HMPPS's contracting and procurement system.

The government's response addresses Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) and its expansion, despite the recommendation focusing on HMPPS's procurement and contract management processes for prison governors.

The government's response details rehabilitation programs for perpetrators of domestic abuse and sexual offences (VAWG), but does not address the recommendation about ensuring all prisoners consistently meet the statutory minimum for time out of cell.

The government's response outlines specific improvements, roadmaps, and frameworks for Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) to enhance safety and time out of room. It does not commit to formalising, standardising, or publicly publishing time out of cell data for every prison in England and Wales.

The government's response details changes to the prison education budget, including anticipated reductions in delivery hours, and efforts to maintain quality and efficiency in education. It does not address the recommendation's concerns about the viability and implementation of the 'earned progression scheme'.

The government's response details its comprehensive approach to supporting neurodiverse prisoners, including an upcoming update to the Neurodiversity Action Plan, new screening tools, and the rollout of Neurodiversity Support Managers. It does not address the recommendation about the inconsistent application and underutilisation of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL).

The government's response addresses healthcare provision for people in prison, outlining commitments to equivalent standards, data collection efforts, and future digital system re-procurement, but does not detail actions to reduce the use of adult custodial remand.

The government's response focuses on ensuring equivalent healthcare access for prisoners, detailing existing agreements, digital system upgrades, and plans to publish healthcare data by April 2026, rather than addressing the broader issue of providing more options for remand prisoners beyond healthcare.

The government partially accepts, committing to review the Justice and Education Select Committee’s recommendations on access to student finance for prisoners, including the six-year funding rule, to inform future policy decisions. It highlights existing provisions through partners and charitable grants.