Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Saville Roberts Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Alex Norris]

I am grateful for that question from the Chair of the Justice Committee, because that too is a crucial point. We are in a self-defeating cycle: the capacity problems in our prisons, which have been talked about in this Chamber for months, impair governors’ ability to move individuals around and get them to the right place, be it to substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, educational classes or work training. That is why the steps that we have taken are so important. However, I recognise the vigour with which the Chair and the Committee make their comments, and I certainly intend to work closely with them to deliver on this.

[Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)]

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lefarydd. Tackling reoffending requires rehabilitation, but the Wales Governance Centre’s latest report shows that that is not happening well enough in Wales. Recall numbers are up 27%; rough sleeping on release is becoming the norm; and the rate of death by drug poisoning while under community supervision is considerably higher than in England. Addressing those issues requires a holistic approach, which is impossible when Westminster controls the levers when it comes to justice. Following the Secretary of State’s meeting with Welsh Government Ministers yesterday, does he agree that devolving justice is key to making justice work in Wales?

[Alex Norris]

As the right hon. Lady says, I was in Wales yesterday, meeting the Welsh Government and talking about exactly these issues. As I said in my answer to the original question, we have to use all organisations—yes, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, but also others, including local authorities, local health services and charities—effectively at a place-based level. That is what we said in the conversations that we had yesterday, and I very much look forward to building on them.