Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report on a scrutiny visit to HMP North Sea Camp by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published on 2 June 2021, what steps he is taking to ensure that telephone call monitoring for public protection purposes at HMP North Sea Camp is robust.

The Ministry of Justice welcomes HMIP’s scrutiny visit report, published on 2 June, and takes the concerns raised seriously. The Inspectorate found improvements over the course of the pandemic and since their last report, but we recognise there is more to do.

We remain committed to the expansion of Approved Premises through the delivery of an additional 200 bed placements. The Approved Premise Expansion Programme (APEX) has delivered 56 bed spaces to date and we have further bed spaces confirmed for this financial year, which includes a new site for women in Bristol. The Programme is continuing to progress additional sites and we are confident in achieving the 200 placement target.

All prisons in England and Wales are expected to have Equality Strategies and Action Plans, as specified within PSI 2011-32 – Ensuring Equality, and this document will be updated in the coming months providing further guidance to this requirement. HMP North Sea Camp is working with the National Equalities Team to develop an overarching Equalities strategy that both supports and is supportive of the needs of those in the charge of HMPPS.

We are committed to making all our prisons decent and safe for all those who live and work there. Further easing of the restrictions will enable us to work on embedding additional improvements. We will continue to ensure that action is taken to improve conditions for those in our prisons and their outcomes on release.