Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many inmate deaths have occurred in HMP Parc in the last two years; and what steps they are taking to ensure the safety of inmates in the prison.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died at Parc.

There were 25 prisoner deaths at HMP Parc between January 2023 and December 2024. This includes 14 deaths by natural causes, 3 that were apparently self-inflicted and 8 other deaths (a category which includes those that were apparently drug-related and those that are currently unexplained)[1].

We are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible. At HMP Parc, we have taken a number of measures to improve safety, including:

• Increased intelligence gathering.

• Additional lock down searches and staff training.

• Making changes to leadership and senior staffing structures.

• Collaborating with colleagues in the Local Health Board, to provide additional mental health and substance misuse support.

HMP Parc remains focused on improving safety, and this is reflected in the action plan developed in response to the recent report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons which will be published in the coming months.

[1] These figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons, but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.