Found: Welcome HMP Huntercombe (previously used to visit Campsfield House IRC) Befriending Support Team for HMP

Found: Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, dated 9 May 2024 relating to the Urgent notification at HMP

Found: Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, dated 9 May 2024 relating to the Urgent notification for HMP

Found: Evidence reported for publication Independent investigation in the HMP Wandsworth alleged escape.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timetable is for the production of the action plan for HMP Wandsworth.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons’ findings at HMP Wandsworth are deeply concerning. The Lord Chancellor and the Minister of State for Prisons are determined to drive improvement at the prison and we published our response to the Urgent Notification on 6 August 2024.

We also published HMP Wandsworth’s full action plan on 29 August 2024. This action plan addresses the key concerns made by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) during the inspection.

Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons, visited HMP Wandsworth on 2 September, accompanied by Lord Ponsonby and will continue to take an active interest in progress at the prison until we are persuaded that sustainable improvement has been delivered.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of pest control at HMP Wandsworth in the last 12 months.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

HMP Wandsworth pays £16,238 per annum for a contracted weekly pest control service. The cost of additional pest control work during the last 12 months totals £99,900.92. This work is being carried out as part of our wider efforts to improve living conditions at the prison, which also includes additional specialist staff, to ensure immediate action is being taken.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timetable is to publish her Department's response to the Chief Inspector of Prison's Urgent Notification letter of 8 May 2024 on HMP Wandsworth.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons’ findings at HMP Wandsworth are deeply concerning. My right Hon. Friend, the Lord Chancellor, is determined to drive improvement at the prison and will publish her response to the Urgent Notification as soon as possible.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the secondment of police officers to cover shifts in Wandsworth Prison in the last 30 days.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

No police officers have been seconded to cover shifts in HMP Wandsworth in the last 30 days.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth are serving (a) Imprisonment for Public Protection and (b) Detention for Public Protection sentences.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The number and proportion of prisoners in HMP Wandsworth serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) and Detention for Public Protection sentences (DPP), as at 31 March 2024, are set out in the table below.

Please note:

(1) IPP prisoners include both unreleased IPP prisoners and recalled IPP prisoners.

(2) DPP is the youth equivalent of the IPP sentence, given to those aged under 18 at the time of conviction.

(3) The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

We have taken significant action through the Victims and Prisoners Bill to curtail IPP and DPP licence periods to give offenders the opportunity to move on with their lives. In addition to these changes, the actions this Government is taking are working; the number of prisoners serving the IPP sentence, including those serving DPP sentences, who have never been released now stands at 1,180 as of March 2024, down from more than 6000 in 2012.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of foreign national prisoners at HMP Wandsworth are (a) post-sentence awaiting deportation and (b) serving current sentences.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority: the Ministry of Justice continues to work closely with the Home Office to maximise the number of deportations.

As of 31 March, 13 FNOs were held under immigration powers after their conditional release date at HMP Wandsworth, while deportation arrangements were being made by the Home Office. This represents 1.8 per cent of the prison’s population. On the same date, 90 FNOs were serving sentences in HMP Wandsworth. This represents 12.8 per cent of the population.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth have been recalled to custody having been released as part of the early release scheme.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Data on End of Custody Supervised Licence will be published when sufficient robust and comprehensive data is available. To support orderly release, its publication will be announced through the gov.uk release calendar.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth have been recalled to custody while on release on temporary licence.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

We are unable to answer the question about the number of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth that were recalled to custody while on release on temporary licence (ROTL). HMP Wandsworth is a category B, closed prison. There is no expectation that closed prisons deliver ROTL even though some of the population are eligible. Information on which prisoners were recalled to other prisons before moving to HMP Wandsworth is not held centrally. To obtain the data would involve a manual interrogation of prison records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

ROTL from open prisons is preferred as open prisons are set up and have been resourced to deliver ROTL, with the right staff, processes, layout, and general population (i.e., everyone is eligible), and there is an expectation that they deliver ROTL.

Offenders released on temporary licence are subject to strict conditions and risk assessment. Any breaches can result in more time behind bars. By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison reduces the chances of reoffending. Evidence shows the vast majority abide by their temporary release conditions, with a compliance rate of over 99%.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth are awaiting dispersal to another category of prison following an assessment.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

HMP Wandsworth’s main function is to hold unsentenced prisoners while their cases progress through the courts. Once prisoners are sentenced, they are categorised and can then be transferred to a prison with an appropriate security category if required. On 02 May 2024, there were 313 prisoners at Wandsworth who had been categorised as B, C or D, 20% of Wandsworth’s total population. The number of these who are currently awaiting transfer is not centrally collated, as some will be due for release from Wandsworth itself and some will be currently unable to transfer for other reasons such as completing programmes or medical conditions.

There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring and locating prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, including their security assessment, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison. How these considerations apply in individual cases is not recorded in centrally collated data.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth who have been sentenced are awaiting prison category assessment.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

As of Monday 29 April 2024, 54 prisoners at HMP Wandsworth who had been sentenced were awaiting prison category assessment. This represents 3.6 per cent of the prison’s total population and 15.9 per cent of sentenced offenders at the prison.

Categorisation reviews ensure that, throughout their sentences, prisoners are assigned to the security category most appropriate for managing their risk. An initial security category assessment is conducted within 10 working days of sentencing, to facilitate transfer to an appropriate prison.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth who have been convicted are awaiting sentencing.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

As of 31 March 2024, there were 139 prisoners at HMP Wandsworth who have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing. The proportion of HMP Wandsworth prisoners who have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing as of 31 March 2024 was 18.8% of the convicted population. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth are on remand awaiting trial; and what is the average length of time such prisoners have been on remand.

Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

As of 31 March 2024, there were 785 prisoners at HMP Wandsworth on remand awaiting trial, 51.1% of its total population. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Information relating to the time spent on custodial remand is not centrally held by the Ministry of Justice. To obtain the data to answer this part of the question would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate cost to the department.

Found: in HMP Belmarsh, HMP Birmingham, HMP Bristol, HMP Highpoint, HMP Kingston, HMP Leeds, HMP Parc and HMP

Found: There were 2 escapes from prison in the latest year, which occurred at HMP Chelmsford and HMP Wandsworth

Found: Lord Chancellor orders urgent action to improve HMP Wandsworth

Found: Urgent Notification for HMP Wandsworth

Found: SELECT CARE London * 1 * AAA-S01 Y03135 BRIDGE HOUSE MEDICAL PRACTICE London 37 37 100 AAA-S01 Y03212 HMP

Found: There were 2 escapes from prison in the latest year, which occurred at HMP Chelmsford and HMP Wandsworth