Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Burrowes

Tuesday 7th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

As I have said, it is important that people are supported to get into jobs once they leave prison. Just as we are establishing metrics for governors, showing how many people are employed once they leave prison, we want to use similar metrics to hold probation operators to account to make sure that they are focused on getting people into homes and into work, which we know leads to a reduction in reoffending.

[Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con)]

2. What progress her Department has made on reforming the youth justice system.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Burrowes

Tuesday 24th January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. It is harder to reform offenders and create the safe environments that we want in old prisons that are not fit for purpose. That is why we are building additional prison places. We have £1.3 billion allocated. We will open HMP Berwyn in Wales shortly, which will have additional places. We are committed to this, and I will announce more about our prison build programme in due course.

[Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con)]

What has been the effect of the decisions in 2011, which were confirmed in 2016, to reduce the daily accommodation fabric checks to barely a weekly check? How has that helped to achieve the desired outcome, as stated at the time, of maintaining order and reducing self-harm?

[Elizabeth Truss]

My hon. Friend raises an important issue. We need cells that are fit for purpose and usable. One of the things that my hon. Friend the prisons Minister has been focusing on in his regular meetings is making sure that our contractors get cells back to use and fit for purpose.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Elizabeth Truss and David Burrowes

Monday 21st January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

As we announced in the mid-term review, we will help hard-working families with the cost of child care and we will announce measures on that in due course. As a country we spend more than £5 billion a year, more than countries such as Germany and the same amount as France, and we are not yet getting value for money. My other aim is to make sure that we use the money in our system much better to ensure that more money goes to the front line and that our hard-working child care workers in nurseries and our child minders receive more of the money coming from parents and the Government.

[Mr David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate) (Con)]

21. In the Minister’s focus on the quality of child care, will she not forget the value of parents and relatives looking after young children at home?

[Elizabeth Truss]

My role is to make sure that the child care provided in this country is of the highest quality and provides value for the money that the Government are putting in. My hon. Friend is right: many parents choose to look after their own children at home. That is important, too, but my role is very much to ensure that child care is of the highest quality.