Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the total number of prisoners identified as homeless at reception in Welsh prisons in 2025, by each prison in Wales.

In 2025, 328 prisoners were identified as homeless at reception through OASys Basic Custody Screening assessments completed in Welsh prisons.

The breakdown by establishment was:

HMP Cardiff: 271

HMP Berwyn: 45

HMP Parc: 6

HMP Swansea: 6

HMP Usk: 0

HMP Prescoed: 0

HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed do not operate as reception prisons, with prisoners transferring to these establishments from elsewhere in the prison estate. As a result, there were no prisoners identified as homeless at initial reception into custody at either establishment through this reporting exercise.

Homelessness status is self-reported by prisoners as part of the Basic Custody Screening assessment. The data has been checked to confirm that the figures represent individual prisoners rather than multiple records for the same person. These figures are drawn from raw OASys data and have not been subject to additional quality assurance. The data should be treated as an indication of recorded homelessness at reception rather than a definitive measure of the total number of prisoners who were homeless.

We know those leaving custody with no onward home are more vulnerable, which is why we provide up to 12 weeks of accommodation on release. We also work closely with Welsh Government, councils, charities and employers to secure stable housing and jobs for prison leavers, cutting reoffending and helping them rebuild their lives.