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1005861

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 172523 on Prisons: Private Sector, when his Department stopped holding data on the number of staff certified under Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	190556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>With regards to when the Ministry of Justice stopped holding data on the number of certified staff and the reasons for doing so, it may help if I explain that the MoJ has never collected this information. Whilst Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 confirms that a Prison Custody Officer (PCO) is approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of performing escort and custodial duties, it does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State approves PCOs for the purpose of performing escort functions or custodial duties or both and PCO’s are accordingly authorised to perform them. However, there is not a process in place whereby the Secretary of State formally issues certificates to new PCOs, and as mentioned previously, Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish such information.</p><p> </p><p>All staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, all staff working in privately managed prisons are fully certified and, as such, the figures we hold, and have provided on several occasions, include the funded posts for fully certified staff.</p><p>As you know, each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Controller has regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect numbers of staff in post, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition. Any concerns in relation to these performance indicators are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the Controller and escalated within HMPPS where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. This may include a requirement for urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 190557 190560 190561 190939 question first answered 21/11/2018 17:05:17 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart previous answer version 86232 answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1005862

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 172523 on Prisons: Private Sector, for what reason his Department stopped holding data on the number of staff at each privately operated prison certified under Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	190557
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>With regards to when the Ministry of Justice stopped holding data on the number of certified staff and the reasons for doing so, it may help if I explain that the MoJ has never collected this information. Whilst Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 confirms that a Prison Custody Officer (PCO) is approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of performing escort and custodial duties, it does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State approves PCOs for the purpose of performing escort functions or custodial duties or both and PCO’s are accordingly authorised to perform them. However, there is not a process in place whereby the Secretary of State formally issues certificates to new PCOs, and as mentioned previously, Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish such information.</p><p> </p><p>All staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, all staff working in privately managed prisons are fully certified and, as such, the figures we hold, and have provided on several occasions, include the funded posts for fully certified staff.</p><p>As you know, each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Controller has regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect numbers of staff in post, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition. Any concerns in relation to these performance indicators are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the Controller and escalated within HMPPS where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. This may include a requirement for urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 190556 190560 190561 190939 question first answered 21/11/2018 17:05:17 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart previous answer version 86235 answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1005863

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 172523 on Prisons: Private Sector, what grades of staff are covered by the term funded posts.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	190558
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>The contract price for privately managed prisons includes the cost of providing all staff with the required skills and experience necessary for the provision of the services as set out in the contract. This includes, but is not limited to, administrative staff, Prison Custody Officers (PCOs) and Operational Support Grades (OSGs). The Ministry of Justice does not mandate staffing numbers and it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties.</p><p> </p><p>The performance of all providers continues to be robustly managed. We will not hesitate to take action if and when standards fall short.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 190559 question first answered 20/11/2018 17:20:51 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1005864

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 172523, on Prisons: Private Sector, who decides (a) which posts are classed as funded posts and (b) the number of funded posts.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	190559
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2018 answer text <p>The contract price for privately managed prisons includes the cost of providing all staff with the required skills and experience necessary for the provision of the services as set out in the contract. This includes, but is not limited to, administrative staff, Prison Custody Officers (PCOs) and Operational Support Grades (OSGs). The Ministry of Justice does not mandate staffing numbers and it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties.</p><p> </p><p>The performance of all providers continues to be robustly managed. We will not hesitate to take action if and when standards fall short.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 190558 question first answered 20/11/2018 17:20:51 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1006015

	registered interest
	date	13/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 172523 on Prisons: Private Sector, what information his Department holds on individual prison custody officers approved under Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	190939
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2018 answer text <p>With regards to when the Ministry of Justice stopped holding data on the number of certified staff and the reasons for doing so, it may help if I explain that the MoJ has never collected this information. Whilst Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 confirms that a Prison Custody Officer (PCO) is approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of performing escort and custodial duties, it does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish the information requested.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State approves PCOs for the purpose of performing escort functions or custodial duties or both and PCO’s are accordingly authorised to perform them. However, there is not a process in place whereby the Secretary of State formally issues certificates to new PCOs, and as mentioned previously, Section 89 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 does not oblige the Secretary of State to collect or publish such information.</p><p> </p><p>All staffing matters, including the responsibility for ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, all staff working in privately managed prisons are fully certified and, as such, the figures we hold, and have provided on several occasions, include the funded posts for fully certified staff.</p><p>As you know, each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). The Controller has regular review meetings with the contractor against a range of performance indicators that will reflect numbers of staff in post, recruitment, training, sickness, and attrition. Any concerns in relation to these performance indicators are discussed at these meetings. Where action is needed, progress is monitored by the Controller and escalated within HMPPS where appropriate action can be taken in accordance with the contract. This may include a requirement for urgent improvement and/or financial deductions.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 190556 190557 190560 190561 question first answered 21/11/2018 17:05:18 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1020624

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers working in each prison were employed by the private sector in each of the last eight years.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	199897
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics (which contains staffing figures in public sector prisons but not in privately managed prisons) are published quarterly. The latest publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-september-2018</p><p> </p><p>I have attached tables showing the number of funded posts at each privately managed prison and the number of Prison Officers present in Public Sector Prisons. It should be noted that as with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time to ensure consistency of reporting. However, the database itself is dynamic and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate.</p><p> </p><p>Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We now have over 4,300 additional staff in post compared to October 2016. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 11/12/2018 12:05:04 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart attachment 1 file name PQ 199897 Prison Officers.xlsx title Table
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1020627

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2018 to Question 188131 on Prisons: Private Sector, what criteria his Department uses to decide which prison accommodation is classed as unsuitable.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	199900
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>As set out in my answer to PQ 188131, the Government is committed to building up to 10,000 modern, safe and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation so that Governors can achieve better educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>There are a variety of factors that inform decisions to classify prison accommodation as being unsuitable. These include physical condition, age, cost of maintenance and/or operation, strategic fit with demand and needs of the prisoner population, rehabilitative suitability, access to services and the number of hours a prisoner would spend in their cell.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to focus on safety and decency in the prison estate. Last July, the Justice Secretary announced an investment of £30 million in prisons to enhance safety, security and decency across the estate. This includes a £16m investment in improving the fabric of prisons, targeting those with the most pressing maintenance issues so that we can start bringing them back up to acceptable standards.</p><p> </p><p>As announced in the 2018 Budget, an additional £30 million will be spent on prisons this financial year on top of the £30 million announced in July. This will go towards further improvements to safety, security and decency on top of those already announced.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 11/12/2018 16:43:08 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1020793

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018 on Prisons Update, Official Report HCWS1123, what criteria his Department plans to use to decide which unsuitable accommodation is to be closed and replaced by 10,000 modern prison places.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	200144
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2018 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Further to my written statement on 29 November, the Government is committed to building up to 10,000 modern, safe and decent prison places to replace old, expensive and unsuitable accommodation so that Governors can achieve better educational, training and rehabilitative outcomes. As I set out in my answer to PQ 199900, there are a variety of factors that inform decisions to classify prison accommodation as being unsuitable. These include physical condition, age, cost of maintenance and/or operation, strategic fit with demand and needs of the prisoner population, rehabilitative suitability, access to services and the number of hours a prisoner would spend in their cell. No decisions have been made about any future prison closures. Construction of the first two new build resettlement prisons at Wellingborough and then Glen Parva is expected to begin in late 2018 and late 2019, with completion planned for early 2021 and 2022 respectively. We continue to focus on safety and decency in the prison estate. Last July, the Justice Secretary announced an investment of £30 million in prisons to enhance safety, security and decency across the estate. This includes a £16m investment in improving the fabric of prisons, targeting those with the most pressing maintenance issues so that we can start bringing them back up to acceptable standards. As announced in the 2018 Budget, an additional £30 million will be spent on prisons this financial year on top of the £30 million announced in July. This will go towards further improvements to safety, security and decency on top of those already announced.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 200145 200146 question first answered 12/12/2018 17:01:29 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1020796

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison custody officers were certified at each contracted prison on the last date for which Ministry of Justice Controller records are available.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	200147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2018 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics are not published for privately managed prisons. The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for specific points in time, and it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties. The table below displays the most recent figures that the Ministry of Justice has for the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison and the dates that these relate to. <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Altcourse</p></td><td><p>Ashfield</p></td><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>Bronzefield</p></td><td><p>Doncaster</p></td><td><p>Dovegate</p></td><td><p>Forest Bank</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>269.17</p></td><td><p>74.6</p></td><td><p>302</p></td><td><p>148</p></td><td><p>218.5</p></td><td><p>259</p></td><td><p>204.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>01/11/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lowdham Grange</p></td><td><p>Northumberland</p></td><td><p>Oakwood</p></td><td><p>Parc</p></td><td><p>Peterborough</p></td><td><p>Rye Hill</p></td><td><p>Thameside</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>230</p></td><td><p>229.4</p></td><td><p>284</p></td><td><p>403</p></td><td><p>329.76</p></td><td><p>132.68</p></td><td><p>192</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td></tr></tbody></table>Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 4,300 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 200148 question first answered 12/12/2018 17:10:31 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1020797

	registered interest
	date	07/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Private Sector
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many certified prison custody officers were on duty at 9am at each contracted prison on the last date for which Ministry of Justice Controller records are available.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	200148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2018 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>HM Prison and Probation workforce statistics are not published for privately managed prisons. The Ministry of Justice does not hold staffing numbers for specific points in time, and it is the responsibility of the Contractor to determine and maintain the number of staff necessary to discharge the requirements of the contract and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to undertake their duties. The table below displays the most recent figures that the Ministry of Justice has for the number of funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison and the dates that these relate to. <table><tbody><tr><td><p>Altcourse</p></td><td><p>Ashfield</p></td><td><p>Birmingham</p></td><td><p>Bronzefield</p></td><td><p>Doncaster</p></td><td><p>Dovegate</p></td><td><p>Forest Bank</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>269.17</p></td><td><p>74.6</p></td><td><p>302</p></td><td><p>148</p></td><td><p>218.5</p></td><td><p>259</p></td><td><p>204.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>01/11/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Lowdham Grange</p></td><td><p>Northumberland</p></td><td><p>Oakwood</p></td><td><p>Parc</p></td><td><p>Peterborough</p></td><td><p>Rye Hill</p></td><td><p>Thameside</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>230</p></td><td><p>229.4</p></td><td><p>284</p></td><td><p>403</p></td><td><p>329.76</p></td><td><p>132.68</p></td><td><p>192</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>01/10/18</p></td><td><p>31/10/18</p></td></tr></tbody></table>Prison officer numbers are at their highest in five years, which is vital to ensuring prisons are safe, secure and decent. We have recruited over 4,300 new prison officers across the country in the last 18 months to improve safety and help turn offenders’ lives around. The recruitment drive will continue until we reach required levels across the prison estate, ensuring prisons can fulfil their purpose - protecting the public, reducing reoffending and crucially, rehabilitating offenders.</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 200147 question first answered 12/12/2018 17:10:31 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts