To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take to ensure that people who are released from prison have suitable accommodation.

A settled place to live is key to reducing reoffending, cutting crime and protecting the public. Our Prisons Strategy White Paper set out our plans to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation.

In July 2021, we launched a new transitional accommodation service, Community Accommodation Service - Tier 3 (CAS3), providing up to 12 weeks accommodation on release with support to move to settled accommodation, for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness, in five probation regions. The service is now operating in all 12 probation regions, and new places continue to be added as it develops. From the commencement of the service on 1 July 2021 up to 31 March 2023, a total of 5,796 people were placed in CAS3 accommodation.

We are working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, through its Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme (AfEO), to build a pathway from prison, ensuring prison leavers can move-on into settled accommodation. We have also increased the number of Strategic Housing Specialists across England and Wales to 48 FTE and have embedded the Homelessness Prevention Teams within Probation regions to strengthen strategic relationships between prisons, probation and local authorities and build accommodation pathways.