Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding in the National Audit Office's report, Children in custody: secure training centres and secure schools, published on 28 April 2022, that unsuitable provision alongside a cohort of more serious offenders has led to decline in children’s safety and outcomes.

We are reforming and evolving the youth estate through the development of the first Secure School as a pilot for a future model of youth custody. We acknowledge that performance of parts of the youth estate has not been good enough in recent years but we are committed to taking appropriate action to address those issues and drive up standards wherever necessary. Some areas of the current estate deliver good services.