Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been recorded among inmates at each prison in Wales in each month since 1 January 2021.

The information requested is provided in the attached spreadsheet.

We have worked closely with Public Health Wales throughout the pandemic and have well-developed policies and procedures in place to manage outbreaks and infectious diseases. This means prisons and probation services are well prepared to take immediate action whenever cases or suspected cases are identified. These measures so far have included restricting regimes, minimising inter-prison transfers, compartmentalising our prisons into different units to isolate the sick, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals, and introducing an extensive testing programme to test staff and prisoners.

We are also supporting the NHS to deliver the vaccination programme to staff and prisoners to reduce transmission risks and to protect the population from serious illness and fatalities. Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons and probation (and re-introducing them where necessary) are and will be guided by public health.