Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of Norwich Coroner’s Court in relation to the death of David Sparrow at HMP Norwich.

The safety of those in our care is our absolute priority, and every death in custody is a tragedy. My condolences are with the family and friends of Mr Sparrow.

Mr Sparrow’s death was the subject of an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and an inquest at Norwich Coroner’s Court that has recently concluded. We are committed to learning from such investigations and using their conclusions to inform our work to reduce the number of deaths in custody. We accepted and acted upon the eight recommendations of the PPO investigation into Mr Sparrow’s death, and we are carefully considering the findings of the inquest. We understand that the Coroner may send a prevention of future deaths report, and if such a report is received we will consider the matters of concern raised in it and respond within the statutory time limit.