Question to the Ministry of Justice:

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the spread of covid-19 in prisons.

As community rates increase, the risk of outbreaks in prisons inevitably rises. We have planned for this and have a range of measures in place, informed by public health advice, to protect our staff, prisoners and the NHS over Winter.

Our hard-working prison staff are continuing to implement regimes that have been adapted for safety, with social distancing and PPE use. We are also quarantining new arrivals, isolating those with symptoms, and shielding the vulnerable.

These interventions are supporting us to minimise importation, limit the spread of infection and protect against explosive outbreaks.