Question
Today, the Government will let another 650 criminals out of prison early, on top of 1,350 last month and tens of thousands under their original early release scheme. When the Justice Secretary launched this scheme, he promised that there would be a presumption that every released criminal would be tagged, but that is not happening. I have asked Ministers about this many times, in letters, written questions, oral questions and urgent questions, but to no avail. He talks about waiting for the release of data in January, but waiting for January is his choice, so I ask again: how many released criminals have been tagged, and if he will not tell us, will the public not conclude that he is just hiding his broken promise?50% point-scoring
Answer
The hon. Gentleman cannot have this both ways. I have heard him say, and I am sure the whole House tuned in to listen to him in recent podcasts, that he accepts—he never accepts it in the Chamber, but is more willing to do so in public—that we are in these circumstances because the Conservatives did not build enough prison places, and he also refused to rule out an emergency release scheme. I put this to him gently, because I like him: perhaps he is not quite walking the walk, though he is talking the talk. On the presumption of tagging, we will in due course have the full data; that has been the position of successive Governments, including ones in which the hon. Gentleman had important roles. However, I made a commitment about the presumption of tagging, and I also made a commitment that this would be the biggest expansion of tagging in history, and I look forward to having a conversation about the data when it is available.50% point-scoring 8% vibes
Verdict: RED (20/100) DEFERRED
The question asked for a specific number of early-release offenders who have been tagged, and the reply gives no figure. It says the full data will be published in due course, so that part of the question is deferred rather than answered. The reply only partly addresses the question of openness: it implies the data will follow past practice and restates the government's tagging commitments, but it never directly commits to being open about the number and responds to the 'hiding' point with rhetoric rather than a direct answer. Overall the reply is largely hedged, and the person who asked would most likely need to ask again for the specific figure.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many released criminals under the early release scheme have been tagged? | Deferred | Hedged | The question asks for a specific number of early-release offenders who have been tagged, but the reply gives no figure and only says the full data will come 'in due course' and that the minister looks forward to discussing it 'when it is available', which defers the substantive answer. |
| Whether the Government will be transparent about the number tagged, and whether the public will conclude that the Justice Secretary is hiding a broken promise on tagging. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply implicitly addresses transparency by saying full data will follow and that this matches past practice, and it rebuts the 'broken promise' charge by restating the minister's tagging commitments. However, it does not directly say the government will be open about the number, and it deflects the 'hiding' implication with point-scoring rather than a direct answer. |