Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56664 on Prisoners' Transfers: Transgender People, whether E Wing at HMP Downview is considered to be in the women's or men's prison estate.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The general female estate comprises the establishments in which female prisoners are accommodated. E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview is a special unit: it is not part of the general women's estate. Prisoners on E Wing are located separately from all other prisoners at HMP/YOI Downview. They may receive supervised access to activities in the main prison’s regime, such as visits, education, work and faith services. Such access is provided only where a local risk assessment has determined this to be appropriate.
As of 1 July, seven prisoners were being held on E Wing.
We are reviewing all relevant policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56664 on Prisoners' Transfers: Transgender People, what is the definition of general female estate.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The general female estate comprises the establishments in which female prisoners are accommodated. E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview is a special unit: it is not part of the general women's estate. Prisoners on E Wing are located separately from all other prisoners at HMP/YOI Downview. They may receive supervised access to activities in the main prison’s regime, such as visits, education, work and faith services. Such access is provided only where a local risk assessment has determined this to be appropriate.
As of 1 July, seven prisoners were being held on E Wing.
We are reviewing all relevant policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) facilities and (b) services the biological males held in HMP Downview share with women prisoners simultaneously.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The general female estate comprises the establishments in which female prisoners are accommodated. E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview is a special unit: it is not part of the general women's estate. Prisoners on E Wing are located separately from all other prisoners at HMP/YOI Downview. They may receive supervised access to activities in the main prison’s regime, such as visits, education, work and faith services. Such access is provided only where a local risk assessment has determined this to be appropriate.
As of 1 July, seven prisoners were being held on E Wing.
We are reviewing all relevant policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biological males were held in HMP Downview on 1 June 2025.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The general female estate comprises the establishments in which female prisoners are accommodated. E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview is a special unit: it is not part of the general women's estate. Prisoners on E Wing are located separately from all other prisoners at HMP/YOI Downview. They may receive supervised access to activities in the main prison’s regime, such as visits, education, work and faith services. Such access is provided only where a local risk assessment has determined this to be appropriate.
As of 1 July, seven prisoners were being held on E Wing.
We are reviewing all relevant policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the recent performance of the Energy Ombudsman.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has regular discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues. Ofgem is required to review the performance of the Energy Ombudsman on a biennial basis to ensure it still meets the approval criteria under which it was appointed. The Department also sought views on the role of the Energy Ombudsman in the Ofgem Review Call for Evidence, which closed earlier this year.
On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their consumer. This consultation will also look at introducing automatic referrals to the Ombudsman instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and also to explore the reduction of referral waiting times from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.
We hope that these changes will ensure that consumers can access the free Energy Ombudsman service quicker and easier and help any customer who has received a poor quality service from their supplier to receive the compensation and resolution they deserve.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on the performance of the Energy Ombudsman.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department has regular discussions with Ofgem on a range of issues. Ofgem is required to review the performance of the Energy Ombudsman on a biennial basis to ensure it still meets the approval criteria under which it was appointed. The Department also sought views on the role of the Energy Ombudsman in the Ofgem Review Call for Evidence, which closed earlier this year.
On 19 June the Government announced that we will consult on strengthening the Energy Ombudsman to ensure that suppliers comply with its final decisions or pay compensation to their consumer. This consultation will also look at introducing automatic referrals to the Ombudsman instead of consumers having to do this themselves, and also to explore the reduction of referral waiting times from 8 weeks to 4 weeks.
We hope that these changes will ensure that consumers can access the free Energy Ombudsman service quicker and easier and help any customer who has received a poor quality service from their supplier to receive the compensation and resolution they deserve.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason it is her policy to no longer allow the Prison Fellowship Sycamore Tree Programme to operate in prisons.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All interventions that aim to change attitudes, thinking, emotions or behaviour are governed by the National Framework for Interventions Policy Framework issued by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS): National Framework for Interventions Policy Framework - GOV.UK.
The minimum standards set out in the National Framework are based on evidence of effectiveness gathered from a range of countries. A review of the Sycamore Tree programme found that it did not meet the required standards, and HMPPS therefore decided that it should no longer be delivered in prisons.
HMPPS is grateful to the provider of the programme, the Prison Fellowship, for the work it has undertaken over many years. HMPPS continues to work with the Prison Fellowship on other services it provides in prisons in England and Wales.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the process for authorising the approval of the transfer of a biological male prisoner into the female prison estate.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are currently seven biological male prisoners at HMP Downview and all of them are on E Wing, which is a transgender only facility.
No transgender women who retain their birth genitalia, and/or have any history of sexual or violent offences, can be held in the general women’s estate unless an exemption is granted by a Minister. The current Government has not moved any transgender women into the general women’s estate since taking office.
We are reviewing the policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biologically male prisoners have been placed at HMP Downview since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are currently seven biological male prisoners at HMP Downview and all of them are on E Wing, which is a transgender only facility.
No transgender women who retain their birth genitalia, and/or have any history of sexual or violent offences, can be held in the general women’s estate unless an exemption is granted by a Minister. The current Government has not moved any transgender women into the general women’s estate since taking office.
We are reviewing the policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact transgender prison policies on the (a) safety, (b) dignity and (c) privacy of biologically female prisoners.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Prior to any placement, a risk assessment would be carried out by a multidisciplinary panel chaired by a specially trained senior prison manager, with senior staff from the HMPPS Womens Group including a psychologist. Assessments take account of all known risks posed by an individual, based on a comprehensive range of factors, together with the potential impact on other prisoners.
This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government. No transgender women have been moved into the general women’s estate, including at HMP Downview, since 4 July 2024. We are reviewing the policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.