Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisons: Working Environments and Violence at Work

Tuesday 18 October 2022 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister committed to making prisons safer for staff through support, training, and tools.
  • Minister did not commit to reviewing the pension age for prison officers.
  • Care teams, trauma risk management, and counselling are available for staff and families impacted by workplace violence.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gordon Henderson Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP noted the dangerous environment for prison officers who face violence at work.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help create safer working environments in prisons and support prison staff who are victims of violence at work?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

We are committed to making prisons a safe place for staff, providing them with the right support, training, and tools. Anybody violent towards staff will face consequences.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps or timeline for creating safer working environments or supporting victims of violence.

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Q2 Gordon Henderson Con
Justice & Courts Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP highlighted the dangerous environment for prison officers and urged a review of their pension age.

Question

Will he commit to an urgent review of how the pension age for prison officers can be reduced so that it reflects that of other public sector workers in similar challenging environments?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

The Minister appreciated the challenge made, stated consequences for violent actions against staff, and noted annual fitness tests apply to older prison officers. He did not commit to a specific pension age review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to an urgent review on reducing the pension age.

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Employment Mental Health
Context

The MP highlighted that families also suffer from the violence experienced by prison officers.

Question

What is being done to help the families of those who are suffering physically or mentally due to workplace violence?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

The Minister acknowledged the valid point, noting post-incident support through care teams, trauma risk management, and counselling is available for staff impacted by violence in the workplace. Families are considered in this context as well.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on support provided directly to families of victims of workplace violence.

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Q4 Steve Reed Labour (Co-op) Streatham and Croydon North
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP welcomed the new Secretary of State to his place and highlighted that one in four prison officers quit within a year, leading to incidents like offenders using phones or running drug empires.

Question

When will the Government get back control of our prisons?

Answer from Brandon Lewis

The Minister welcomed the hon. Gentleman, acknowledged a link between staffing levels and prison violence, noted an increase in the number of prison officers from under 18,000 to almost 22,000, initiated a review to prevent incidents, and highlighted unacceptable situations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to when control over prisons will be regained specifically.

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