Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Liz Twist

Tuesday 11th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

The Government’s plan to support women offenders is clear and ambitious. To reduce the number of women going to prison, our new women’s justice board will support the implementation of the plan. This Government have taken immediate action to ensure that girls will never again be held in youth offender institutions following the publication last week of Susannah Hancock’s review into girls in the youth estate.

[Liz Twist]

Self-harm in prisons is now at the highest rate ever recorded. In women’s prisons, the rates are eight times higher than in men’s prisons—shockingly, one in three female prisoners has self-harmed. Does my hon. Friend share my deep concern about those figures, and what is the Department doing to tackle that issue effectively?

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

I certainly share my hon. Friend’s deep concern about that issue, which she is right to raise. Good relationships between staff and prisoners are essential in our efforts to identify and manage the risks of suicide and self-harm. We are providing specialist support to establishments rolling out tailored investments, including specialised training for new officers, recruiting psychologists to support women, and piloting a compassion-focused therapy group designed for women.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Liz Twist

Tuesday 28th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

That is a devolved matter, though clearly we are happy to speak to the devolved Government about any issues.

[Liz Twist (Blaydon and Consett) (Lab)]

5. What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the lessons learned following the Southport attack.