Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors in the last year.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors in the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time HMPPS staff were employed to provide bail information services in (a) prisons and (b) courts on 12 February 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In January 2024, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) was delivering the Bail Information Service in four magistrates’ courts: Blackburn, Cardiff, Manchester and Liverpool.
As of 12 February 2024, there were 31 full-time Bail Information Officers - 26 in prisons and five in magistrates’ courts. Of the total, 24 are employed by HMPPS and seven through agencies.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates' courts had bail information services in January 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
In January 2024, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) was delivering the Bail Information Service in four magistrates’ courts: Blackburn, Cardiff, Manchester and Liverpool.
As of 12 February 2024, there were 31 full-time Bail Information Officers - 26 in prisons and five in magistrates’ courts. Of the total, 24 are employed by HMPPS and seven through agencies.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prison officers working in the youth secure estate receive training on the needs of young offenders with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prison officers working in the Youth Secure Estate are required to complete an in-depth training scheme prior to entering any secure settings. NHS England delivers training to all new entrants, which covers the Framework for Integrated Care (‘SECURE STAIRS’). This equips staff to provide developmentally-attuned, psychologically-informed care including for those with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, centred around comprehensive assessments of young people’s needs, to ensure that all needs are identified.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of ending the supply of razors to prisoners.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in each of the last 24 months, and subsequently how many of those have resulted in (a) hospitalisation or (b) prison officers leaving the service could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper, we committed to trial alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons to test whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one carried out in the female estate.
Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation will consider outcomes, learning and positive practice from across all pilot sites and will be measured against the impact they have had on violence and/or self-harm.
The evaluation will be completed by the end of March 2024. This evaluation will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in each of the last 24 months, and subsequently how many of those have resulted in (a) hospitalisation or (b) prison officers leaving the service could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper, we committed to trial alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons to test whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one carried out in the female estate.
Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation will consider outcomes, learning and positive practice from across all pilot sites and will be measured against the impact they have had on violence and/or self-harm.
The evaluation will be completed by the end of March 2024. This evaluation will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of assaults on prison officers involving razors.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in each of the last 24 months, and subsequently how many of those have resulted in (a) hospitalisation or (b) prison officers leaving the service could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper, we committed to trial alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons to test whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one carried out in the female estate.
Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation will consider outcomes, learning and positive practice from across all pilot sites and will be measured against the impact they have had on violence and/or self-harm.
The evaluation will be completed by the end of March 2024. This evaluation will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers involving razors have resulted in (a) hospitalisation and (b) prison officers leaving the service in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in each of the last 24 months, and subsequently how many of those have resulted in (a) hospitalisation or (b) prison officers leaving the service could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper, we committed to trial alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons to test whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one carried out in the female estate.
Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation will consider outcomes, learning and positive practice from across all pilot sites and will be measured against the impact they have had on violence and/or self-harm.
The evaluation will be completed by the end of March 2024. This evaluation will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers have involved razors in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of assaults on prison officers involving razors in each of the last 24 months, and subsequently how many of those have resulted in (a) hospitalisation or (b) prison officers leaving the service could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Data on how many prisoners have been successfully prosecuted for attacks on prison officers with razors could also only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognise the risks associated with the current wet shave razor provision. In the 2021 Prison Safety White Paper, we committed to trial alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons to test whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023 six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one carried out in the female estate.
Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation will consider outcomes, learning and positive practice from across all pilot sites and will be measured against the impact they have had on violence and/or self-harm.
The evaluation will be completed by the end of March 2024. This evaluation will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11801 on Prison Officers: Labour Turnover, how many and what proportion of prison officers recruited at Wandsworth Prison in 2023 had left the prison service on 9 February 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information, including leavers, and the latest publication covers data up to 31 December 2023. Figures covering data up to 31 March 2024 are due for publication on 16 May 2024 and therefore this information cannot be released.
In the period from 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, there were 113 band 3-5 prison officers who joined HMP Wandsworth. Details of the number and proportion who have left HMPPS as of 31 December 2023 are given in the table below.
Table 1: Status of band 3-5 prison officers (1) who joined (2) HMP Wandsworth between 01 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 - as of 31 December 2023
Remained or left | Headcount | Percentage |
Working in public sector prisons (including YCS) | 106 | 93.8% |
Left HMPPS altogether | 7 | 6.2% |
Total | 113 | 100.0% |
Notes to table 1:
(1) Includes Bands 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
(2) New recruits joining HMPPS - does not include internal transfers or conversions.
Across HMPPS, retention continues to be a priority. Exit interviews have been in place since 2021 to determine the reasons for leaving and appropriate action needed. Retention strategies and toolkits based around drivers of attrition, such as leadership and career progression, have been in place since 2021 to determine appropriate national and local interventions.