Probation Early Release: Residential Properties
Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Contributions
Mr Andrew Snowden (Fylde) (Con)Conservative
17. What steps he has taken to ensure the equitable regional distribution of residential properties used by the Probation Service during the early release scheme.
The Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending (Catherine McKinnell)Labour
The distribution of property used by the Probation Service’s accommodation service is regularly reviewed to meet local need, operational requirements and community considerations, as we need to ensure that the properties are allocated appropriately and that there is sufficient capacity.
Properties such as rundown B&Bs have long been used as houses in multiple occupation for services such as probation, and councils in large metropolitan areas use them for adult and children’s social services, effectively as a dumping ground. This is a cross-Government problem that has been going on over some time. Will the Minister assure me that through the early release scheme they will not add to problems such as those in Blackpool, where the concentration of HMOs used by multiple services creates transient populations?
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point, and that has to be a consideration. Clearly, the accommodation is demand-led. Ideally, offenders should be resettled back into their communities, where they have community ties and are able to build their life and find stable accommodation so they do not reoffend. That needs to be done on a local and case-by-case basis to make sure that it is appropriate within the setting.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5408085.