Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average weekly time out of cell for prisoners in HMP Wandsworth has been for each week in 2024.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Prison governors set a regime for each day specifying when prisoners will ordinarily be unlocked. There will be occasions, however, where certain prisoners will remain in their cell during these times. Reasons for this will include illness, the management of operational incidents, and other operational reasons such as staff needing to be deployed to other duties. There will also be occasions where prisoners will be out of cell at times when they are scheduled to be locked in, for example to attend medical appointments at hospital, a late arrival from court, or a transfer between prisons.

To accurately record the amount of time prisoners spend out of cell, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service would therefore be required to record information for each individual prisoner, taking into account their unique movements on a daily basis.

There is no central mandate which governs the amount of time that prisoners should spend out of their cells. Governors are instead afforded the flexibility to deliver balanced regimes that maintain an appropriate level of time out of cell on a range of activities, including association, which meet the needs of the establishment’s population.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when and with whom he has had discussions on drugs use in HMP Wandsworth this year.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

HMP Wandsworth has benefitted from our £100 million investment in tough security measures, introducing x-ray body scanning for prisoners and enhanced gate security provisions for visitors and staff, which includes archway metal detectors, drugs dogs and x-ray baggage scanners. These measures are helping to tackle the supply of drugs and other contraband into prisons, and as of October 2023, our x-ray body scanners had recorded more than 46,900 positive indications across the prison estate since their introduction.

We are also expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units (ISFLs), where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs and alcohol, with regular drug testing and incentives. 80 prisons, including HMP Wandsworth, now have an ISFL. The ISFL at HMP Wandsworth is a 16-bed unit where residents have access to additional support, privileges and substance misuse interventions whilst undergoing voluntary drug testing twice a month.

HMP Wandsworth also works closely with their Substance Misuse Service Provider, “Change, Grow, Live” to deliver a comprehensive programme of recovery workshops, and is currently in the process of recruiting a new, dedicated Drug Strategy Lead to better co-ordinate efforts to keep drugs out of the prison.

As the responsible minister for prisons, I receive regular updates on their conditions and performance, including those at HMP Wandsworth, via a variety of means, including through formal face to face discussion such as the quarterly Ministerial Performance Review Board meetings.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce drugs use by prisoners in HMP Wandsworth.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

HMP Wandsworth has benefitted from our £100 million investment in tough security measures, introducing x-ray body scanning for prisoners and enhanced gate security provisions for visitors and staff, which includes archway metal detectors, drugs dogs and x-ray baggage scanners. These measures are helping to tackle the supply of drugs and other contraband into prisons, and as of October 2023, our x-ray body scanners had recorded more than 46,900 positive indications across the prison estate since their introduction.

We are also expanding the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living Units (ISFLs), where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs and alcohol, with regular drug testing and incentives. 80 prisons, including HMP Wandsworth, now have an ISFL. The ISFL at HMP Wandsworth is a 16-bed unit where residents have access to additional support, privileges and substance misuse interventions whilst undergoing voluntary drug testing twice a month.

HMP Wandsworth also works closely with their Substance Misuse Service Provider, “Change, Grow, Live” to deliver a comprehensive programme of recovery workshops, and is currently in the process of recruiting a new, dedicated Drug Strategy Lead to better co-ordinate efforts to keep drugs out of the prison.

As the responsible minister for prisons, I receive regular updates on their conditions and performance, including those at HMP Wandsworth, via a variety of means, including through formal face to face discussion such as the quarterly Ministerial Performance Review Board meetings.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce over-crowding in HMP Wandsworth.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

In prisons where we have crowding in place, a rigorous cell certification process is undertaken that ensures the use of cells is subject to a formal assessment of safety and decency.

We continue to pursue the package of longer-term measures the Lord Chancellor announced on 16 October 2023 to reform the justice system and address the prison capacity challenges. The measures include: the extension of the Early Removal Scheme to deport Foreign National Offenders (FNOs), introducing a presumption to suspend sentences of 12 months or less, curtailing the licence period for IPP sentences and extending the use of Home Detention Curfew. On 11 March, the Lord Chancellor announced the next steps in our plan, to allow us to go further and faster in removing FNOs. This includes expediting prisoner transfers with our priority partners, such as Albania, and the creation of a new taskforce across the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to change the way we process FNO cases radically.

To meet pressing demand, we are building c.20,000 modern, rehabilitative prison places – the biggest prison build programme since the Victorian era. We have already delivered c.5,900 of these, including through our two new 1,700 places prisons, HMP Five Wells and HMP Fosse Way, and c.590 Rapid Deployment Cells across 11 sites. By the end of 2025, we are on track to have delivered around 10,000 places in total.

The Government will continue to monitor the evolving situation with demand for prison places carefully, so that we can make sure we have the right approaches in place to maintain the capacity required for a safe and effective criminal justice system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and with whom he has had discussions on the Business Case for the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in the last six months.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State is currently reviewing the business case to ensure that it provides value for money for the taxpayer and will make a final decision in due course. The Department’s Ministers are continuing to have regular discussions on this matter with officials.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the Business Case for the restoration of Hammersmith Bridge submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham Council; and when he plans to take a decision.

Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State is currently reviewing the business case to ensure that it provides value for money for the taxpayer and will make a final decision in due course. The Department’s Ministers are continuing to have regular discussions on this matter with officials.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure the space needed for the Urgent Treatment Centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton be returned to a drop in as well as bookable centre.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of local National Health Service commissioners and providers to engage with their stakeholders and make decisions on the provision of services locally to best meet the needs of their patients and population.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when and with whom he has had discussions on conditions in HMP Wandsworth in the last six months.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

As the responsible minister for prisons, I receive regular updates on their conditions and performance, including those at HMP Wandsworth, via a variety of means, including through formal face to face discussion such as the quarterly Ministerial Performance Review Board meetings. Additionally, the Lord Chancellor and I met Keith Bristow on 16 November 2023 regarding Mr Bristow’s independent investigation into the alleged escape from HMP Wandsworth by Daniel Khalife. I most recently met with and discussed the conditions at HMP Wandsworth with the Governor of HMP Wandsworth on 18 March 2024, as part of one of my regular roundtable forums with prison governors.

Found: Sobel Jeff Smith Matt Western Mrs Sharon Hodgson Liz Twist Fabian Hamilton Clive Efford Fleur

Found: Sobel Jeff Smith Matt Western Mrs Sharon Hodgson Liz Twist Fabian Hamilton Clive Efford Fleur