Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Selous Excerpts

Tuesday 6th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gyimah]

Cell searches are carried out on an intelligence-led basis at establishment level. In addition, we are investing £3 million on a regional and national intelligence network so that we can identify where phones, for example, are being smuggled in to aid criminal activities in our prisons and deal with such situations appropriately.

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Our prison chaplains deal with all these issues daily and are almost universally well thought of, so will the Minister tell the House what steps he is taking, first, to recruit the full number of chaplains, and secondly, to make sure that they have the time to do the important work they are there to do?

[Mr Gyimah]

That is an excellent suggestion, which I am willing to look at in detail.