Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department collects data on the number of prison staff dismissed for entering into (a) romantic and (b) sexual relationships with prisoners.
Data is collected on all conduct and discipline cases for MoJ employees, including those working in Prisons, and is captured once a dismissal has been submitted. Prison staff who have been dismissed for entering a sexual relationship fall under the sub-category ‘Sexual Relationship with Prisoner or Ex-Prisoner'.
'Romantic relationship’ is not a term used in the standard categorisation, therefore we do not have data that captures this. This would fall under the charge of ‘Inappropriate Relationship with a Prisoner/Ex-Prisoner’.