Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Supporting Prison Officers

Tuesday 5 November 2024 · 3 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • John Slinger expressed concerns about the neglect of the Prison and Probation Service by the Conservative party over 14 years.
  • The Minister acknowledged the current challenges and stated their aim to address the issues inherited from the previous government.
  • Gavin Williamson inquired about steps being taken to manage the number of foreign national offenders in prisons within his constituency.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Slinger Lab Rugby
Justice & Courts
Context

Prison overcrowding and lack of investment have led to negative impacts on staff morale, safety, and prisoner management.

Question

I am concerned about the consequences of 14 years of neglect of our Prison and Probation Service by the Conservative party: critical overcrowding due to lack of investment; staff at all levels feeling exhausted, scared, demotivated, disenfranchised and undervalued; officers facing unacceptably high levels of violence and drug abuse; bullying between prisoners. What is being done to rectify these issues?

Answer from Nicholas Dakin

My hon. Friend tells it how it is. The Conservative party left our Prison and Probation Service in a mess. Our job, on behalf of the British people, is to clean up that mess. That is what we are doing.

Not addressed: Specific actions to rectify neglect and support prison officers were not provided

How: Cleaning Up A Mess Left By Another Party

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Q2 John Slinger Lab Rugby
Justice & Courts
Context

Prison overcrowding and lack of investment have led to negative impacts on staff morale, safety, and prisoner management.

Question

I am concerned about the consequences of 14 years of neglect of our Prison and Probation Service by the Conservative party: critical overcrowding due to lack of investment; staff at all levels feeling exhausted, scared, demotivated, disenfranchised and undervalued; officers facing unacceptably high levels of violence and drug abuse; bullying between prisoners. What is being done to rectify these issues?

Answer from Nicholas Dakin

My hon. Friend tells it how it is. The Conservative party left our Prison and Probation Service in a mess. Our job, on behalf of the British people, is to clean up that mess. That is what we are doing.

Not addressed: Specific actions to rectify neglect and support prison officers were not provided

How: Cleaning Up A Mess Left By Another Party

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Q3 Gavin Williamson Con Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
Immigration Justice & Courts
Context

HMP Featherstone, HMP Oakwood and HMP Brinsford in the constituency face pressures due to a high number of foreign national offenders.

Question

HMP Featherstone, HMP Oakwood and HMP Brinsford, including a young offender institution, in my constituency are brilliantly supported by amazing staff. However, one pressure is the number of foreign national offenders in these prisons. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that those foreign national offenders are returned to their countries?

Answer from Nicholas Dakin

We are already on track to remove more foreign national offenders than the Conservative party ever did.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions and timeline for removal of foreign national offenders were not detailed

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