Mr. Eddie Mullins:

The Deputy asked what might work. I certainly believe employment is a big problem. As I said earlier, when people have nothing to do they drift into non-productive activity. There are models. There is a model in the UK where a company called Timpsons, a key cutting and shoe repair service with a couple of hundred shops in the UK, has a policy of employing 10% of the workforce from among ex-offenders. Mr. James Timpson, who comes from a very privileged background, talked about their experience when they took on some ex-offenders.

They had a pilot whereby they took ten prisoners on and told nobody. It was a disaster, but he kept at it. The point is that it is not straightforward when people come out of prison. It is something you have to keep coming back to. People will make mistakes and slip up. We need commitment from employers and employer groups. Many people say that they will take on offenders but when it comes to the crunch, it does not happen. That is one of the areas where progress could be made.