3. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact prison overcrowding is having on its ability to support prisoners? OQ61502

Thank you for the question. We welcome the decisive action the UK Government is taking to address the capacity issues in prisons. We will continue to work with the UK Government to support people in custody and assist with their rehabilitation.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. HMP Parc, in my region, is one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country. There have been a string of deaths at the prison in recent months, avoidable deaths at that. The latest official figures show there have been 12 deaths in Parc since the beginning of the year, and many of them self-inflicted. With the prison running at 160 per cent of capacity, the mental health and welfare of the inmates is suffering. However, overcrowding alone cannot be blamed. In recent weeks, the prisons ombudsman released the report into the death of Aaron Nunes. Mr Nunes died of a dental abcess. The ombudsman found that the inexperienced healthcare staff 

'failed to identify the seriousness of Mr Nunes' condition and mistakenly considered that he was to blame for his frequent hospital admissions', with the prison staff

'taking their lead from healthcare staff'.

It was described that his dental care was

'unsafe and subject to a catalogue of failings'.

Therefore, Cabinet Secretary, what discussions have you had with the Cabinet Secretary for health and your UK Government colleagues about the action the Welsh Government can take to improve healthcare at HMP Parc to ensure we have no more unneccessary deaths at the prison?

Thank you very much, Altaf Hussain. I know you have taken this up on many occasions and have been part of the Equality and Social Justice Committee’s inquiry on women’s experiences in the criminal justice system as part of your role. The deaths in custody at Parc earlier this year are deeply concerning, and our thoughts must remain with staff and family members affected by deaths. I just want to report that I met Ian Barrow, the head of HM Prison and Probation Service Wales, on 14 August. Ian provided reassurances on the progress made at Parc since the deaths in custody earlier this year, and the appointment of a new director. And I hope you will be able to visit and meet the new director, as other local and regional Members will, I’m sure. My understanding from that meeting is that Parc has made considerable progress since the spring. It’s now much more stable. Also, I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that I met with Lord James Timpson this morning, the new prisons Minister and the Minister responsible for probation and rehabilitation, and we’re visiting together—it’s a joint visit—HMP Parc on 30 September.

Thank you, Altaf Hussain, for raising this issue. One of the reasons we want to have devolved criminal justice is in order to prevent more people going into prisons, when there must be alternatives if they break the law. I want to ask you two questions about your conversations with the prisons and probation service head for Wales. One, have you had any discussions about how they could increase the provision of speech and language therapists in youth offending teams following the best practice of Neath Port Talbot, because it’s really important that young people who come into the criminal justice system understand what is going on? And if they genuinely cannot understand it, as they have a learning disability or a particular communication difficulty, we really need to question whether or not they are appropriately placed within youth offending. Equally, they need to be able to understand what the courts have said they must not do. So, that's one issue, and those professionals are really badly needed across Wales. Secondly, what discussions have you had about the release from prison of a lot of prisoners because of the gross overcrowding? What efforts have been made by the Ministry of Justice, working with local authorities, to ensure every prisoner has accommodation to go to because, otherwise, they will simply end up back in prison?

Thank you for that supplementary question, Jenny Rathbone. In fact, the very words that you said, that we need to prevent more people going into prison, were the opening words of James Timpson today. I hope many other Members across this Chamber will meet him. It was an inspiring and really hopeful meeting in terms of his mission and our shared mission to prevent more people going into prison. But, your point about the work you did particularly in terms of speech, language and communication in youth offending teams is very important. We thank your committee for the work you’ve done, because children need that support to thrive and live fulfilling lives away from crime. I hope my letter to you on 30 August actually helped you see the progress that has been made, and we do expect action as a result of the summit that was held. Also, your second point I raised with the Minister for prisons today, about ensuring there is accommodation for prisoners being released in the early release scheme. The 10 September, last week, was the first phase, and in October will be the second phase. I was reassured it had gone well in Wales. There’s been a good cross-Government effort, with Welsh Government housing officials working closely with local government. That’s a responsibility led by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.