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Written question asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party) on Thursday, 27 November 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 December 2025. It was answered by Lord Timpson (Labour) on Thursday, 4 December 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.


Offenders: Rehabilitation

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of international evidence on the use of alcohol interlocks within offender rehabilitation programmes.

Answer

In 2021, the Government commissioned PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) to publish a report on alcohol interlocks: https://www.pacts.org.uk/locking-out-the-drink-driver-using-alcohol-interlocks-to-reduce-drink-driving-in-the-uk/.

We, in the Ministry of Justice, believe that courts should have the flexibility they need to sentence offenders appropriately and, as part of a community or suspended sentence the courts have a range of robust powers to punish and rehabilitate offenders and protect the public. This includes the option for an Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement which imposes an alcohol ban for up to 120 days, with compliance electronically monitored using an alcohol tag.

Published statistics show a compliance rate with the ban of 97.2% for days monitored, since introduction, Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2023 - GOV.UK. The courts also have powers to include treatment requirements as part of a sentence served in the community, with the aim of addressing the root causes of offending.

The Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for drink driving. The Ministry of Justice is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, and we will continue to assess the capabilities and reliability of technology.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL12415
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Breathalysers Driving under influence Rehabilitation Offenders Motor vehicles
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk