Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officer applicants failed security vetting in the past two years.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Personnel Security Vetting is the first line of defence in the screening of people working for or on behalf of HMPPS, with the objective of preventing those unsuitable from entering the organisation.
From 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2026, a total of 16,425 prison officer applicants entered the HMPPS security vetting process. Of these, the number of prison officer applicants who failed security vetting checks was 2,141 (13%).
The figure for applicants who failed security vetting checks reflect those who applied for prison officer roles in public sector prison establishments across the United Kingdom and Wales and who were referred to the HMPPS Personnel Security Countermeasures (PSC) Vetting department for review by Shared Services Limited (SSL).
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HMPPS Action Plan for HMP Winchester dated 19 June 2026, which underrepresented groups will be given focus under Point 11 regarding personal development opportunities.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The HMPPS Action Plan was published on 19 June 2026 in response to HM Inspectorate of Prisons findings from its unannounced inspection of HMP Winchester between 9 and 19 February 2026. HMIP found that personal development opportunities did not reach enough prisoners to make a sustained difference to their wider skills and rehabilitation.
Action Point 11 focuses on prisoner groups currently underrepresented in access to personal development opportunities.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department provided funding to sharia councils in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Department has not provided funding to sharia councils in the last 12 months.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there are sharia councils in (a) England and (b) Wales.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There are no Sharia Courts in England or Wales.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the Advisory Board on Female Offenders met in the past two years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We established the Women’s Justice Board (WJB) in 2024 to advise on reducing the number of women going to prison with more managed in the community. The WJB met formally three times in 2025 on 21 January, 29 April and 22 July – more information can be found on GOV.UK.
On 16 March 2026, we published a report by members of the Women’s Justice Board.
To support the next phase of work, we are transitioning to a new Women’s Justice Advisory Group (WJAG) which will act as a distinct advisory forum, providing external insight, expert advice and constructive challenge. The arrangements for the WJAG are still under consideration and the WJAG has not yet met
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Women’s Justice Advisory Group was established and who currently sits on it.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We established the Women’s Justice Board (WJB) in 2024 to advise on reducing the number of women going to prison with more managed in the community. The WJB met formally three times in 2025 on 21 January, 29 April and 22 July – more information can be found on GOV.UK.
On 16 March 2026, we published a report by members of the Women’s Justice Board.
To support the next phase of work, we are transitioning to a new Women’s Justice Advisory Group (WJAG) which will act as a distinct advisory forum, providing external insight, expert advice and constructive challenge. The arrangements for the WJAG are still under consideration and the WJAG has not yet met
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons currently have underfloor heating in prisoner cells; and whether any under construction prison places will have underfloor heating in prisoner cells.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Underfloor heating is cheaper to run and safer in prisons because it operates at lower temperatures than traditional radiators, reducing energy costs, working efficiently with low-carbon heat pumps, distributing heat more evenly to minimise heat loss, and eliminating exposed radiators that could be damaged, tampered with, or cause injury.
Underfloor heating is currently installed at the following HMPs,
Wetherby
Durham
Frankland
Cardiff
Nottingham
Stocken
High Down
Cookham Wood
Earlestoke
The Mount
Parkhurst
HMP Aylesbury
HMP Winchester
HMP Bullingdon
Five wells
Fosse way
Berwynn
Bronzefield
Peterborough-
Rye Hill
Millsike
Littlehey
Maidstone
Bure
Oakwood
Lewes
Elmley
Parc
All our new prisons will feature underfloor heating, as will all new houseblocks being built at existing prisons. Where appropriate, the refurbishment of existing prison wings may also include the installation of underfloor heating.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisoners convicted of being parts of grooming gangs will be released early under the Sentencing Act 2026.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The grooming gang scandal was one of the worst of our time, and this Government is determined to get to the truth behind years of systemic failure in the response to the appalling crimes which gang members committed. Prosecutions and convictions are now at their highest ever levels, and we have made grooming an aggravating factor so that the horrific impact of this offending on victims and survivors is recognised in sentencing.
The changes to release do not apply to offenders serving Sentences for Offenders of Particular Concern Extended Determinate Sentences or life sentences. As a result, over 18,000 of the most dangerous offenders are entirely unaffected by these reforms and will continue to be released under their existing arrangements.
Once released, offenders will be managed under strict licence conditions in the community. Offenders released on licence can be recalled if they breach their conditions or if they cannot be safely managed in the community.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been convicted of possessing, without authority, a mobile phone inside a prison in the past year.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of convictions of prisoners in possession, without authority, of a mobile phone inside a prison.
Illicit mobile phones enable serious criminality and harm which impacts both prisons and the community, including drug supply, violence and harassment of victims and witnesses. £35 million is being invested this year on improving security across 17 of our most at-risk prisons, building on over £40 million already invested.
Prisons have a variety of equipment to prevent the smuggling and use of illicit mobile including X-ray body scanners and Enhanced Gate Security such as archway, handheld metal detectors and X-ray baggage scanners, and improved netting and grilles.
Prisoners caught with devices or smuggling illicit items can face extra time in custody and the loss of privileges. The most serious crimes, including those where a mobile phone is being used to coordinate criminal activity, are also referred to the police in line with the Crime in Prisons Referral Agreement.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether convicted child sex offenders can be housed in open prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Determinate sentence prisoners, including those convicted of sex offences, are eligible to be considered for a move to open prisons when within five years of their earliest release date. Before they can transfer, however, their risk must be assessed as low enough to be safely managed in open conditions. The assessment looks at a wide range of factors, including risk of harm to the public, risk of continued criminality, and risk of abscond.
To be eligible for re-categorisation to open conditions, prisoners serving an indeterminate sentence must have their suitability assessed by the Public Protection Casework Section of HM Prison & Probation Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State.