Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect on (a) fair treatment of staff, (b) rates of absence, (c) staff morale and (d) staff retention of the absence of Payment Plus Bonus Scheme payments during the covid-19 outbreak, in private prisons in England and Wales.

We put a range of measures in place to support our prisons and to safeguard staff and offenders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covid Payment Plus Special Bonus Scheme, was available for all prison staff, in any establishment, including privately run prisons, where additional hours are required due to staff absence. Annual leave buy-back was the only element of the scheme that was not available to staff in privately run prisons. For staffing working in privately run prisons, all staffing matters, including bonus payment schemes, are managed by their employers.

We are very grateful to prison staff, who have continued to work hard through extraordinary circumstances. This includes staff working out our private prisons, which continue to play an important role in the prison estate. We have and will continue to work closely with private providers throughout the pandemic.