Young Offender Institutions: Werrington
House of Lords

Baroness Stern (Crossbench)

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for ensuring the provision of appropriate accommodation at Werrington Young Offenders' Institution to enable the separation of opposing gang members, and of victims of bullying from those perpetrating bullying.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to take to establish the cause of the rooftop protest at Werrington Young Offenders' Institution on 14 April.

Lord McNally (Minister of State, Justice; Liberal Democrat)

There are two main wings at Werrington. In addition, there is a small unit for young people who are on an Enhanced regime and a small unit for young people who are segregated from other prisoners for reasons of good order, for their own protection, or as a punishment for contravention of prison rules. Options are therefore limited in managing gang and bullying issues, but the staff at Werrington are very aware of the risks and have a lot of experience of dealing with these issues appropriately. There are no plans to build further accommodation or to alter the configuration of the current accommodation.

The incident that took place on 14 April is subject to an investigation being carried out by a senior prison manager. This will examine contributing factors as well as the way in which the incident was managed. Any recommendations and required action arising from this investigation will be considered by the Deputy Director of Custody for the West Midlands.