Oral Answers to Questions

James Davies Excerpts

Tuesday 26th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Victoria Prentis (Banbury) (Con)]

2. What progress his Department has made on ensuring that offenders are engaged in meaningful work in prison.

[Dr James Davies (Vale of Clwyd) (Con)]

6. What progress his Department has made on ensuring that offenders are engaged in meaningful work in prison.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Andrew Selous)]

We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition. That is why we will give governors more autonomy and hold them to account by publishing employment outcomes for prisoners so that we can compare results between prisons.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

What a worthy representative the hon. Gentleman is of his Government.

[Dr James Davies]

Is the Minister aware of an outstanding pathfinder project at North Wales Women’s Centre in Rhyl, in my constituency, which offers holistic support to women offenders in line with recommendations in the Corston report? Will he join me in urging the Government to pursue improved provision and rehabilitation for women offenders to help to avoid the cost and family disruption of incarceration for relatively minor offences?

[Andrew Selous]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing the House’s attention to the good work of the North Wales Women’s Centre, and I commend it for what it does. The Government are committed to supporting vulnerable women to turn their lives around, and we plan to expand that important work.