Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 65 of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report 2019-20, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement from the inspector that there has been a strategic failure in the delivery and governance of children's custody.

I welcome Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report 2019-20 and take very seriously the report’s assessment of youth custody highlighted by the Hon. member.

In the short to medium term, the Youth Custody Service is carrying out a reform programme designed to create a child-focused youth estate. For example, the new youth justice specialist role continues to be embedded within the YCS, with funding for every prison officer in youth custody services to take up a foundation degree in youth justice. The YCS has also commissioned a programme of research, in collaboration with academics, to evaluate and learn lessons from the impact and response to Covid-19. The results will inform its recovery planning.

In the longer term, we aim to replace the existing estate with a network of secure schools and similar smaller units, drawing on evidence that smaller, more therapeutic units operated by child-focused providers are more effective in reducing reoffending and improving outcomes for children in custody. We are making progress toward the planned opening of the first secure school in 2022.