Written question asked by Lynne Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 October 2006. It was answered by Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour) on Thursday, 19 October 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Primary Carer Home Leave

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the evidential basis was for the decision that three nights and four days in every eight week period was the most appropriate period for primary carer home leave.

Answer: The maximum frequency and duration of child care resettlement leave were decided in consultation with prison operational managers across the estate, including those responsible for the care of women prisoners, who considered these parameters to be sufficient to enable prisoners to maintain their relationships with their children while maintaining public confidence in temporary release. The new policy provides a clear structure to the frequency and duration of temporary releases for child care purposes. Prisoners continue to have access to prison visits and the Special Purpose Licence is also available to prisoners to deal with emergencies relating to their parental duties, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and passing a risk assessment.

Secondary information