To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to introduce proposals to give prison governors more power; and whether any such proposals will be subject to consultation.

As the Secretary of State made clear in his speech on 17 July, we need a new and unremitting emphasis on reform and rehabilitation in prisons – and we need to put the tools to drive this change in the hands of those who work with prisoners on a day-to-day basis. Prison Governors need greater freedoms so they can innovate and find new and better ways of rehabilitating offenders. With these freedoms will also come sharper accountability, so prisons are judged and rewarded according to how well they perform. This will make sure that that prisons are best equipped to help prevent reoffending. Further details of our proposals will be provided in due course.