Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Operation Safeguard: November 2022

Tuesday 10 January 2023 · 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 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Operation Safeguard was triggered in November 2022 due to an unprecedented short-term growth in the need for prison places for adult male prisoners.
  • Operation Safeguard provides additional headroom and does not currently involve housing prisoners due to it.
  • Facilitating the transfer of prisoners back to their home countries is being considered, with an existing agreement with Albania since May 2022.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Feryal Clark Lab Enfield North
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

Operation Safeguard was triggered in November 2022 due to an increase in the requirement for places in adult male prisons.

Question

For what reason he triggered Operation Safeguard in November 2022. The Prison Officers Association says that the lack of staff is exacerbating the crisis in prison places, and Napo claims a link between insufficient capacity and workload crises in probation services.

Answer from Damian Hinds

There was an unprecedented short-term rate of growth in the requirement for places in adult male prisons in October and November, creating a contingency to maintain headroom. Meanwhile, we focus on estate modernisation and expansion.

Answered
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Q2 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

The Prison Officers Association claims that the lack of staff exacerbates the crisis in prison places, while Napo links insufficient capacity to workload crises.

Question

I am concerned about the impact of Operation Safeguard on prison staffing levels and public safety. If it fails, what will be the next step? The Police Federation says that Operation Safeguard puts its members and the public at risk, and Napo links insufficient capacity to a workload crisis leading to an increase in recalls.

Answer from Damian Hinds

Operation Safeguard provides additional headroom; we are not currently housing prisoners due to it. Physical capacity and staffing are both crucial, with recruitment and retention emphasized in the prison service.

Partly answered

Not addressed: What will be done if Operation Safeguard fails?

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Q3 Feryal Clark Lab Enfield North
Policing & Resources Justice & Courts
Context

Napo claims a link between insufficient prison capacity and workload crises in probation services.

Question

Does the Minister agree with Napo's view that there is a workload crisis in probation services? If so, who caused it?

Answer from Damian Hinds

All services are linked; recruitment into the Prison Service and probation drives workload. High employment rates make recruitment a challenge.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Who caused the workload crisis in probation services?

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Q4 Philip Hollobone Con
Immigration Justice & Courts
Context

A large number of foreign national offenders are in UK prisons.

Question

Can we have more compulsory prisoner transfer agreements so that people can be sent to jail in their own countries? The top three groups are made up of 1,300 Albanians, 800 Polish nationals and 750 Romanians.

Answer from Damian Hinds

Facilitating the movement back to home countries is important. We have a prisoner transfer agreement with Albania since May 2022, and we are looking at more.

Partly answered

Not addressed: More compulsory prisoner transfer agreements

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