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Written question asked by Joe Robertson (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Catherine McKinnell (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners' Release: Isle of Wight

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Early Release Scheme on (a) local probation services, (b) policing and (c) housing on the Isle of Wight.

Answer

The Sentencing Act 2026 reforms will result in certain offenders being released from custody earlier through the Progression Model. The Government has assessed the impact of the Sentencing Act 2026 reforms through its published Impact Assessment and is working with probation, policing and local partners to manage implementation, including on the Isle of Wight. The Impact Assessment can be accessed here: Sentencing Act Impact Assessment.

This Government is committed to ensuring the Probation Service has the capacity it needs to manage offenders safely in the community, including those released on licence from October 2026. We are investing up to £700 million in probation and community services by the final year of the spending review period to support the expansion of tagging, accommodation provision and increasing capacity. We have committed to onboarding at least 1,300 more trainee probation officers in 2026/27. This builds on the success of previous years’ campaigns with 1,057 trainees onboarded in 2024/25, and 1,389 in 2025/26.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
24634
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Housing Isle of Wight Police Prisoners' release Probation
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk