Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by Independent Monitoring Board, Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Berwyn, published on 17 September 2020, what assessment they have made of complaints that prisoners have been threatened with sanctions for speaking Welsh; and what steps are they taking following those complaints.

No sanctions or warnings have been issued at HMP Berwyn for use of the Welsh Language since the prison opened in 2017. There has been one instance where a prisoner was improperly challenged for speaking Welsh in 2019; the matter was investigated, and the member of staff corrected before they issued a behaviour warning to the prisoner. No further complaints of this nature have been reported.

HMP Berwyn is committed to supporting its prisoners, which includes meeting the expectations of the Welsh Language Commissioner and helping encourage the speaking of Welsh at the prison.

Every prison in Wales, including HMP Berwyn, has a Welsh Language Action plan. HMP Berwyn has a dedicated Welsh Language Lead who provides updates to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, chaired by the Governor.