Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in January 2024.

The information requested, stated in hours and minutes, is set out in the table below. These are average times-out-of-room in young offender institutions. They do not include any refusals to engage with offered activities. The figures below were calculated during January 2024.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision with a consistent daily programme of activities. The Youth Custody Service continues to review regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, with a focus on recruitment and retention to support this delivery.

The Youth Custody Service has commissioned a resource review across the four public sector young offender institutions, which is exploring opportunities to make better use of the staff available in the current operating environment (including the balance between management and frontline supervisory staff). The first review was at Feltham in 2023. A delivery plan following the review will be implemented early this year. We will monitor how this impacts service delivery. Cookham Wood YOI will be the next site subject to review, commencing soon, followed by the remaining public young offender institutions.