Prisoner Releases in Error
Debate between Lord Timpson and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering(2 weeks, 3 days ago)
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Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)
My Lords, the Minister made comments earlier this week about Wetherby Young Offender Institution serving the community. I visited a number of years ago and was appalled to see that respect for prison officers was taken away from them as they were being asked to wear tracksuits, which did not distinguish them from the young offenders they were trying to hold to account. Does the Minister agree that when there have been issues such as that which harm the morale of prison officers, that needs to be addressed on an ongoing basis?
Lord Timpson (Lab)
I have been to a number of young offender institutions over the years, and they are quite challenging—I would describe them even as harrowing places sometimes—but also places of hope. Sadly, a few of the foster children who I lived with when I was growing up ended up in young offender institutions and then came back to us; in fact, one of them still works in the Timpson business and is doing very well. It is important to understand what was said in the Rademaker review, which was a look into some of the behaviours and actions that happen in HMPPS. Some of them we are not proud of regarding the way that individual staff treat each other. We should have a culture of care because we are trying to rehabilitate people so that when they leave, they do not come back.
Prison Services: Insourcing
Debate between Lord Timpson and Baroness McIntosh of Pickering(3 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Lord Timpson (Lab)
The decision to outsource maintenance contracts was based on a detailed Cabinet Office assessment that concluded that the MoJ did not have the in-house capability to deliver the desired services, and that achieving this in the same timescale would have been costly and would not offer value for money to the taxpayer. Our intention is to look at the options of insourcing again in 2031. The majority of core teaching is delivered by public sector organisations and many smaller organisations, including voluntary sector providers, are delivering bespoke, locally commissioned courses. This diversity of expertise gives flexibility to meet the needs of prisoners, ensuring they have the skills they need to succeed. I will ensure that we continue to drive for innovation and improvements in the way we deliver education, including the role of digital, in achieving the best outcomes for prisoners.
Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)
My Lords, the noble Lord’s Government were elected on a promise of 50% of all food being sourced locally to prisons, hospitals, schools and other such local bodies. How close are they to meeting that target?
Lord Timpson (Lab)
The noble Baroness will be pleased to know that the prison industry actually grows £1.7 million in value of our own vegetables and fruit. We also do laundry services for all prisons, as we do for immigration removal centres and the police service. We also make everything there is in a prison cell apart from TVs, which we fix, mattresses, which we are working on, and kettles and pillows—but we are working on how to do that ourselves. We are trying to do an awful lot in-house, but there is more to be done.