Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average proportion of sentence served was by Welsh prisoners, based on home address, in custody in 2025, by ethnic group.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Centrally collated prison releases data only allows for "average proportion of sentence" to be readily estimated for those released from determinate sentences and this calculation may also include time spent in the community on bail. Therefore, to provide an accurate response would incur disproportionate cost to the department.
With regards to the number of prison leavers, the requested information has been provided as an Excel file alongside this response.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison leavers in 2025 had an origin address in Wales, by prison establishment of release.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Centrally collated prison releases data only allows for "average proportion of sentence" to be readily estimated for those released from determinate sentences and this calculation may also include time spent in the community on bail. Therefore, to provide an accurate response would incur disproportionate cost to the department.
With regards to the number of prison leavers, the requested information has been provided as an Excel file alongside this response.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers working in Welsh prisons declared as Welsh-speaking using the Welsh language question introduced to Ministry of Justice systems in 2023, in (a) March, (b) June, (c) September and (d) December 2025, by prison in Wales.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The below table shows the headcount of Band 3-5 officers who have reported that they are Welsh speakers on the Department’s HR database:
Prison | 31/03/2025 | 30/06/2025 | 30/09/2025 | 31/12/2025 |
Berwyn | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 |
Cardiff | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Swansea | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
Usk/Prescoed | ~ | ~ | ~ | 3 |
~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Whether staff can speak Welsh is a self-reported variable, with the vast majority of staff not reporting this information, so the true numbers of Welsh speakers are likely to be higher.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners held in English prisons were recorded as Welsh speaking at the end of (a) March, (b) June, (c) September and (d) December 2025, by prison in England.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The following tables provide a breakdown of the numbers of prisoners in England who had Welsh language recorded as their preferred spoken language or Welsh language recorded as a second spoken language during the time periods specified.
~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Welsh preferred language
| March 25 | June 25 | Sept 25 | Dec 25 |
LONG LARTIN (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
THORN CROSS (HMPYOI) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
OAKWOOD (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
KIRKLEVINGTON GRANGE (HMP) | 0 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
ISLE OF WIGHT (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
WYMOTT (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
RISLEY (HMP) | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 |
KIRKHAM (HMP) | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 |
HINDLEY (HMP & YOI) | 0 | 0 | ~ | 0 |
LOWDHAM GRANGE (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
SWINFEN HALL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | 0 | ~ |
STOKE HEATH (HMPYOI) | ~ | ~ | 0 | 0 |
ONLEY (HMP) | ~ | ~ | 0 | 0 |
LIVERPOOL (HMP) | ~ | 0 | ~ | 0 |
STAFFORD (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
WINCHESTER (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
LINDHOLME (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
FEATHERSTONE (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
RYE HILL (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
PRESTON (HMP) | ~ | 0 | ~ | 0 |
GARTH (HMP) | 3 | ~ | ~ | 3 |
FIVE WELLS (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
BIRMINGHAM (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
Second language
| March 25 | June 25 | Sept 25 | Dec 25 |
HIGHPOINT (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
ISLE OF WIGHT (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
WORMWOOD SCRUBS (HMP) | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 |
OAKWOOD (HMP) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
LONG LARTIN (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
LITTLEHEY (HMP) | 3 | 3 | ~ | ~ |
ALTCOURSE (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ |
RISLEY (HMP) | ~ | 4 | 3 | ~ |
HOLME HOUSE (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
KIRKHAM (HMP) | ~ | 4 | ~ | ~ |
WYMOTT (HMP) | ~ | ~ | 3 | ~ |
STOCKEN (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
LEYHILL (HMP) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
LEWES (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | 0 |
STYAL (HMP & YOI) | ~ | ~ | 0 | 0 |
BUCKLEY HALL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
CHANNINGS WOOD (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
DOVEGATE (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
STOKE HEATH (HMPYOI) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
LOWDHAM GRANGE (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SWINFEN HALL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
LINCOLN (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SUDBURY (HMP & YOI) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
HIGH DOWN (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
SEND (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
ONLEY (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
FORD (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
NORTH SEA CAMP (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WHATTON (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
GARTREE (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
HAVERIGG (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
AYLESBURY (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
LIVERPOOL (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | 0 |
ELMLEY (HMP) | ~ | ~ | 0 | ~ |
EXETER (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
WINCHESTER (HMP) | ~ | ~ | 0 | ~ |
STAFFORD (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
BRISTOL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
THAMESIDE (HMP) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ~ |
LINDHOLME (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | ~ |
EASTWOOD PARK (HMP) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ~ |
FULL SUTTON (HMP) | ~ | 0 | ~ | ~ |
FEATHERSTONE (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
HOLLESLEY BAY (HMP) | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 |
WOODHILL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 3 |
WHITEMOOR (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
HEWELL (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
FIVE WELLS (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
FRANKLAND (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
FOSSE WAY (HMP) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
FOREST BANK (HMP & YOI) | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
STANDFORD HILL (HMP) | 0 | 0 | ~ | 0 |
BIRMINGHAM (HMP) | 0 | ~ | 0 | 0 |
GARTH (HMP) | ~ | 0 | 0 | ~ |
This data is reflective of improved Welsh language prisoner breakdowns, with annual summaries planned for publishing in HMPPS’ next Welsh Language Scheme Annual Monitoring Report in October 2026.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners held in Welsh prisons were recorded as Welsh speaking at the end of (a) March, (b) June, (c) September and (d) December 2025, by prison in Wales.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The following tables provide a breakdown of the numbers of prisoners in Wales who had Welsh language recorded as their preferred spoken language or Welsh language recorded as a second spoken language during the time periods specified.
~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Preferred language:
| March 25 | June 25 | Sept 25 | Dec 25 |
HMP USK | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
HMP PRESCOED | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
HMP CARDIFF | ~ | ~ | ~ | 0 |
HMP BERWYN | 53 | 53 | 56 | 53 |
HMP PARC | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
HMP SWANSEA | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Second language:
| March 25 | June 25 | Sept 25 | Dec 25 |
HMP USK | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
HMP PRESCOED | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
HMP CARDIFF | 22 | 19 | 25 | 23 |
HMP BERWYN | 59 | 51 | 66 | 80 |
HMP PARC | 47 | 31 | 45 | 43 |
HMP SWANSEA | 18 | 15 | 18 | 22 |
This data is reflective of improved Welsh language prisoner breakdowns, with annual summaries planned for publishing in HMPPS’ next Welsh Language Scheme Annual Monitoring Report in October 2026.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were received back into custody for breach of post-release licence, excluding those returned to custody for the commission of a further offence, in (a) England and (b) Wales in 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have interpreted the requests to mean the number of occasions in 2025 on which an offender’s licence was revoked that did not involve a charge of further offence. Offenders whose licence is revoked are not always immediately returned to custody. The numbers below include offenders who may have been recalled multiple times in 2025.
In 2025, 35,054 offenders’ licences were revoked in England and 2,804 in Wales not involving a charge of a further offence.
In 2025, 345 female offenders’ licences were revoked in Wales and 3,050 in England, not involving a charge of further offence.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were recalled to custody, where not involving a further offence, in (a) Wales and (b) England in 2025.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have interpreted the requests to mean the number of occasions in 2025 on which an offender’s licence was revoked that did not involve a charge of further offence. Offenders whose licence is revoked are not always immediately returned to custody. The numbers below include offenders who may have been recalled multiple times in 2025.
In 2025, 35,054 offenders’ licences were revoked in England and 2,804 in Wales not involving a charge of a further offence.
In 2025, 345 female offenders’ licences were revoked in Wales and 3,050 in England, not involving a charge of further offence.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the number of people supervised under post-licence in Wales in (a) March, (b) June, (c) September, and (d) December of 2025, by ethnic group.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of offenders supervised by the Probation Service in 2025 in Wales and England, by offence group and ethnic group, as well as the number of offenders under post-release supervision by the Probation Service in Wales by ethnic group, can be found in the attached spreadsheets.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were being supervised by the Probation Service in (a) Wales, and (b) England, in (i) March, (ii) June, (iii) September, and (iv) December of 2025, by offence group.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of offenders supervised by the Probation Service in 2025 in Wales and England, by offence group and ethnic group, as well as the number of offenders under post-release supervision by the Probation Service in Wales by ethnic group, can be found in the attached spreadsheets.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were being supervised by the Probation Service in (a) Wales, and (b) England, in (i) March, (ii) June, (iii) September, and (iv) December of 2025, by ethnic group.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of offenders supervised by the Probation Service in 2025 in Wales and England, by offence group and ethnic group, as well as the number of offenders under post-release supervision by the Probation Service in Wales by ethnic group, can be found in the attached spreadsheets.