Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Report on HMP Exeter by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published in March 2021, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce staff turnover, (b) create better relationships between prisoners and staff, (c) address ethnic disparities in the perceptions of staff, and (d) address long-standing deficiencies in the care of prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide.

The Ministry of Justice welcomes the findings of HMIP’s scrutiny visit report published 27 April and takes the concerns raised seriously. The Inspectorate found improvements during the pandemic and since their last report, but we recognise that improvement is required.

We are committed to making all our prisons decent and safe for all those who live and work there. Further easing of the restrictions will enable us to work on embedding additional improvements. We will continue to ensure that action is taken to improve conditions for those in our prisons and their outcomes on release.