Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Grayling and Fiona Mactaggart

Tuesday 9th September 2014 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Those who have visited prison libraries will know that they are well stocked and well supported by high-quality staff. In most prison libraries one will find local projects helping prisoners to read, and I pay tribute to the work done by our prison librarians in tackling literacy problems in our prisons. My hon. Friend is absolutely right: the fuss made about this issue has been wholly disproportionate and detached from the reality.

[Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)]

But will the Secretary of State give Parliament a report on how many minutes each week each prisoner is able to visit a prison library? We regularly hear reports of lack of staff preventing prisoners from visiting prison libraries, and lack of space preventing toe by toe and similar reading programmes from being mounted.

[Chris Grayling]

The challenge we have in our prisons is not making space available in libraries for prisoners to visit but encouraging them to visit. That is why we are pursuing projects such as toe by toe and encouraging literacy programmes. To be frank, I wish more prisoners wanted to go to our libraries.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Grayling and Fiona Mactaggart

Tuesday 2nd July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)]

Will the Secretary of State promise the House that if he were to close a women’s prison, he would ensure that some of the savings that arose went towards preventing women from going into prison in future?

[Chris Grayling]

The answer is yes. Our probation reforms will also involve greater mentoring support for those who receive community sentences. Our aim is to stop people going to prison in the first place, and help prevent them from going back if they do end up in prison.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Grayling and Fiona Mactaggart

Tuesday 21st May 2013 Commons Chamber

[Chris Grayling]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work he did as Justice Minister on improving the availability of work in prisons. It is to his credit that we saw an increase of 800,000 in the number of hours worked in our prisons last year. My hon. Friend the Prisons Minister is building on that work and it is my hope and expectation that we will see that increase continue.

[Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)]

Will there be resettlement prisons for women?

[Chris Grayling]

There are of course a smaller number of women’s prisons, but it is our intention to have the same geographic links between detention and release for women as well.