Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Eighteenth sitting)

Hywel Williams Excerpts

Committee stage
Tuesday 22nd June 2021 Public Bill Committees

[Chris Philp]

I thank the shadow Minister for drawing attention to the statistic. As I said earlier, the focus is on investing to make sure that services are available—the £50 million and the £80 million. An additional consideration would be encouraging governors to make the release early in the day to avoid encountering services closing for the weekend.

[Hywel Williams (Arfon) (PC)]

Will the Minister give way?

[The Chair]

You do not have to give way, Minister. You are doing a very generous thing here in responding to interventions.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Chair]

It is in order and you do not have to seek my permission to give way.

[Hywel Williams]

I thank the Minister for giving way, and thank you for your guidance, Sir Charles. I tried to intervene earlier, but the Minister was distracted by another colleague.

I raised earlier the fact that women prisoners from Wales are held very far away from their homes. Release can entail a whole day’s travel or even longer. However early in the day services are provided, it may be of no help whatever to people who have to travel cross country, perhaps by public transport, and who will not get back to their home communities until late evening.

[The Chair]

You are being generous, Minister.