Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timetable is to publish her Department's response to the Chief Inspector of Prison's Urgent Notification letter of 8 May 2024 on HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons’ findings at HMP Wandsworth are deeply concerning. My right Hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor, is determined to drive improvement at the prison and will publish her response to the Urgent Notification as soon as possible.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of cell fires there have been in HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2010.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.
HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents | ||
Calendar Year | Fires |
|
2015 | 53 |
|
2016 | 66 |
|
2017 | 105 |
|
2018 | 36 |
|
2019 | 45 |
|
2020 | 47 |
|
2021 | 52 |
|
2022 | 103 |
|
2023 | 78 |
|
The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.
All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.
To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the percentage of prison officers at HMP Wandsworth trained in the use of respiratory protective equipment.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.
HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents | ||
Calendar Year | Fires |
|
2015 | 53 |
|
2016 | 66 |
|
2017 | 105 |
|
2018 | 36 |
|
2019 | 45 |
|
2020 | 47 |
|
2021 | 52 |
|
2022 | 103 |
|
2023 | 78 |
|
The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.
All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.
To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of prison officers have received respiratory protective equipment training at HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The number of fire incidents at HMP Wandsworth in each year since 2015 are shown in the table below. Information on fire incidents before 2015 is not available, because the records have been destroyed in line with our retention policy.
HMP Wandsworth Fire Incidents | ||
Calendar Year | Fires |
|
2015 | 53 |
|
2016 | 66 |
|
2017 | 105 |
|
2018 | 36 |
|
2019 | 45 |
|
2020 | 47 |
|
2021 | 52 |
|
2022 | 103 |
|
2023 | 78 |
|
The overwhelming majority of the cell fires were considered ‘minor’ and quickly dealt with by staff, and medical assessment is provided for anyone who may have been exposed to smoke or heat. Since 2015, in most years 100% of the fires were considered as minor, and in all years over 95% were considered as minor. Where it is found that a fire is the result of arson, or of recklessness, the prisoner responsible will face robust punitive action, which can include further criminal charges.
All operational staff receive Respiratory Protective Equipment training. Prison officers receive it as part of their Prison Officer Entry Level Training.
To promote staff awareness and proficiency, the Governor of HMP Wandsworth has arranged for an additional refresher training session to be delivered each week.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of risk assessments at HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
A review of security risk assessment processes commenced following the alleged escape from HMP Wandsworth on 06 September 2023. This work continues to be led by the Governor, supported by colleagues from the Directorate of Security. This will include a longer-term review of the Local Security Strategy to ensure that guidance is up to date and fit for purpose.
The Prison Group Director has increased the frequency of his visits to HMP Wandsworth to maintain senior manager oversight, and to review progress against current security action plans that have been produced following investigations into the escape.
Immediate action was taken after the alleged escape from HMP Wandsworth to review the processes for workplace risk assessments for prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. A workplace allocation action plan was produced and remains in place, to ensure senior manager oversight and monitoring of processes to allocate prisoners to work activities at Wandsworth.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings he has had with the Governor of HMP Wandsworth since September 2021.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice, has met with the Governor of HMP Wandsworth on two occasions since September 2021. Separately, the Minister of State for Justice also met with the Governor of HMP Wandsworth on two occasions since September 2021.
Ministers and senior officials continue to engage closely with leaders responsible for HMP Wandsworth in a variety of ways beyond in-person meetings and site visits.
The Prison Group Director for London frequently visits HMP Wandsworth. He reports back to the Area Executive Director, who is in close contact with the Director General of Operations and the Chief Executive of HMPPS, and with Ministers via the Ministerial performance meeting.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the secondment of police officers to cover shifts in Wandsworth Prison in the last 30 days.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
No police officers have been seconded to cover shifts in HMP Wandsworth in the last 30 days.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to monitor the effects of conditions in HMP Wandsworth on the health and well-being of prisoners and staff.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Prison Group Director for London is taking active measures to support the health and well-being of staff and prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. He conducts regular visits to assess and monitor conditions at the prison. Accompanied by lead representatives for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, he meets regularly with the Governor to discuss any actions that need to be taken to address identified concerns.
In addition, monthly tripartite meetings are held between Regional Estates, Finance and Health and Safety representatives, where decency is a standing agenda item. A Senior Safety Lead has recently been appointed to support local initiatives and work to improve safety outcomes for prisoners. A Task and Finish Group has recently been set up to address concerns about the physical environment of the in-patient unit at HMP Wandsworth, to improve infection prevention and control.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers were in (a) training or (b) probation at HMP Wandsworth on the first Monday of each month in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The requested information is shown in the tables below.
Number of Prison Officers in initial training at HMP Wandsworth, Mar 2023 – Feb 2024:
Date | 6 Mar | 3 Apr | 1 May | 5 Jun | 3 Jul | 7 Aug | 4 Sep | 2 Oct | 6 Nov | 4 Dec | 1 Jan | 5 Feb |
Number of Prison Officers in initial training | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 25 | 31 | 34 | 18 | 24 | 48 | 48 | 74 |
Number of Prison Officers on probation at HMP Wandsworth, Mar 2023 – Feb 2024:
Date | 6 Mar | 3 Apr | 1 May | 5 Jun | 3 Jul | 7 Aug | 4 Sep | 2 Oct | 6 Nov | 4 Dec | 1 Jan | 5 Feb |
Number of Prison Officers on probation | 49 | 52 | 53 | 51 | 48 | 44 | 42 | 58 | 62 | 54 | 61 | 66 |
The officers in the above table are those on probation during their first 12 months in post. Ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain levels of experience are fundamental to delivering quality outcomes in prisons. That is why we are targeting the drivers of staff resignations and taking steps to improve recruitment levels through innovative approaches such as support under the national HMPPS Brand campaign and our use of incentives scheme to target prisons where there is the greatest need, which HMP Wandsworth benefit from.
Despite a challenging labour market, the Ministry of Justice has seen an improving national staffing picture within prisons. The number of frontline (Band 3-5) prison officers increased by 1,634 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) (7.6 per cent) in the year to December 2023, to 23,266 FTE. Over the same period, there was a fall in the resignation rate among Band 3-5 officers of 2.4 percentage points. At HMP Wandsworth, there has been an increase of 21 FTE Band 3-5 prison officers in the most recent quarterly statistics (September 2023 - December 2023).
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of conditions in Wandsworth prison on the health of (a) prisoners and (b) staff.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
The Prison Group Director for London is taking active measures to support the health and well-being of staff and prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. He conducts regular visits to assess and monitor conditions at the prison. Accompanied by lead representatives for Health, Safety and Wellbeing at His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, he meets regularly with the Governor to discuss any actions that need to be taken to address identified concerns.
In addition, monthly tripartite meetings are held between Regional Estates, Finance and Health and Safety representatives, where decency is a standing agenda item. A Senior Safety Lead has recently been appointed to support local initiatives and work to improve safety outcomes for prisoners. A Task and Finish Group has recently been set up to address concerns about the physical environment of the in-patient unit at HMP Wandsworth, to improve infection prevention and control.