Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons in England and Wales have implemented stage 4 regimes as a result of (a) staffing constraints and (b) severe outbreaks since the autumn 2020 covid-19 restrictions were introduced in (i) Wales and (ii) England.

Our priority is to limit the spread of the virus and to protect the lives of those who live and work in our prisons. Throughout the pandemic we have acted on public health advice, and we will continue to do so.

On 2 June we published the National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services, setting out how we will operate whilst responding to COVID-19. It sets out different Stages of regime delivery, and is clear that we will tailor our activity to the local risk level. This will vary between different prisons and over time, according to their local circumstances.

Since the Autumn, seven prisons have needed to operate at Stage 4 at some point. In all of these cases, this has been as part of the response to an outbreak at the site. As of 18th November, four establishments are currently operating at Stage 4.