Port Talbot Prison

Oral Answers to Questions — Justice – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 6 March 2018.

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Photo of Stephen Kinnock Stephen Kinnock Labour, Aberavon 12:00, 6 March 2018

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of building a new prison in Port Talbot.

Photo of Rory Stewart Rory Stewart The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

I believe that the hon. Gentleman and I have discussed this issue about five times in the past six weeks. I pay tribute to him for being a very firm advocate for his community. We have listened very carefully to his complaints. A decision on this prison is not likely to be imminent, as construction is not likely to be imminent. I would like to say, however, in addition to having listened to his complaints, that a prison built in the right place in the right way can provide significant economic opportunities for an area.

Photo of Stephen Kinnock Stephen Kinnock Labour, Aberavon

I thank the Minister for his answer, but the problem is that the proposed site is right next to residential areas, schools and a care home; is served by very poor transport links; is on a designated enterprise zone; is on marshland; and is restricted by a covenant saying that it can only be used as an industrial park. The Minister must surely agree therefore that the whole idea is a non-starter and should be scrapped with immediate effect.

Photo of Rory Stewart Rory Stewart The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

The hon. Gentleman has made those points on a number of occasions. We are listening very carefully. Indeed, two members of our Department travelled to Port Talbot, to a very lively public meeting where those points were made repeatedly. We are listening very carefully to him.

Photo of Crispin Blunt Crispin Blunt Conservative, Reigate

Would there be an answer to the hon. Gentleman’s question on the industrial estate if any new prison fully incorporated the work of ONE3ONE Solutions, which was designed more than six years ago to increase the productive and commercial output of prisoners? The numbers given by the Justice Secretary just now suggest that we have not made much progress in the number of prisoners who are working. Will any new prison include ONE3ONE Solutions, and how are we getting on with prisoners working overall?

Photo of Rory Stewart Rory Stewart The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

I look forward very much to meeting my hon. Friend to hear more about ONE3ONE Solutions.

Photo of Liz Saville-Roberts Liz Saville-Roberts Shadow PC Spokesperson (Home Affairs), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Women and Equalities) , Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Shadow PC Spokesperson (Justice), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)

If a super-prison is built in Port Talbot, there will up to 1,000 more prison places in Wales than there are presently prisoners from Wales. Does the Minister share the Howard League’s concern that Wales is set to become Westminster’s penal colony?

Photo of Rory Stewart Rory Stewart The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

I think we ought to be very careful with that kind of language. There are currently about 85,000 prisoners within the estate, so having 1,000 extra prisoners in Wales is not the creation of England’s penal colony.

Photo of Desmond Swayne Desmond Swayne Conservative, New Forest West

If that prison is built, will the Minister ensure that its chaplaincy avoids the extraordinary carrying-on that has recently been reported at HMP Brixton?

Photo of Rory Stewart Rory Stewart The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

I would like to take this opportunity not to get drawn into the individual case of Brixton, which I am looking at personally, but to pay tribute in general to the work of the chaplaincy—that is the Christian chaplaincy, the Jewish chaplaincy and the five imams I met recently at Belmarsh Prison who are doing extraordinary work with the Muslim community.