§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of Her Majesty's prison establishments issue references for future prospective employers to inmates who are currently being released after completing their sentence; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter to Mr. Martin Redmond from Derek Lewis, dated 22 October 1993:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about prison establishments which provide to inmates on release references for future prospective employers.The particular information which you have requested is not held centrally. The Prison Service has an obligation to help prisoners lead law-abiding and useful lives after their release. Prisoners may therefore be provided on their release with documents which, for example, describe the education and vocational training qualifications and work experience which they obtained in custody. These are likely to be relevant to any prospective employer and may assist the prisoner in obtaining a job.If there are particular cases you would like to follow up may I suggest that you contact the governor of the establishment from which the prisoner was released. I shall, of course, be happy to deal with any further clarification you may wish to have on the question of references.