HMP Frankland: Covid-19

Opened the debate

The Member for City of Durham thanked Mr Speaker for granting the debate and acknowledged the bravery of prison staff during the pandemic. She highlighted a recent rise in infections at HMP Frankland, where up to 8% of prisoners were infected with around 20% of all staff off work due to the virus or isolating measures. The MP expressed concerns over the decision by gold command not to move from stage 4 restrictions to the more severe stage 5 despite strong support from Public Health England (PHE) and the Prison Officers Association (POA). She also raised issues regarding staffing levels, prisoner welfare, and the treatment of prisoners in relation to wider society's coronavirus restrictions. The Member praised the open relationship between prison leadership and POA but stressed that PHE advice should be shared with the union.

Government Response

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, Lucy Frazer, thanked the Member for City of Durham for raising these issues and paid tribute to prison staff’s efforts during the pandemic. She outlined the government's approach in managing COVID-19 within prisons since March, including social distancing measures, video calling deployments for family contact, and the implementation of a weekly testing regime. The Minister highlighted that HMP Frankland had taken immediate action upon declaring an outbreak on 13 October with enhanced cleaning practices and isolation measures. She reassured that while there are staff absences at Frankland, staffing levels remain sufficient given the restrictive regime in place. Regarding POA and PHE's support for a different regime, the Minister stated that both agencies agreed on a regime minimising infection risk without compromising prisoner welfare or mental health. The Ministry aims to balance infection control with prisoners' wellbeing by giving governors flexibility based on local circumstances, adhering to national guidelines.