Contributions
373 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPrisons: EducationThe provision of prison education is not good enough and budgets have not kept pace with rising costs. I am determined to improve the quality of education by driving up classroom…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI thank the noble Lord. He is absolutely right and I am looking at this on a daily basis. I walk past too many classrooms in prisons that are not full. Some are only one-third…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThis is the final question that the noble Earl will be asking me, because today is my 600th day in the job and his penultimate day in your Lordships’ House. I thank him very much…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationMy noble friend knows we have had a mixed model of education in our prisons for nearly 30 years. What is important is that we support our educators and support staff in prisons by…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI thank the right reverend Prelate. Styal is my local female prison that I have been going to for probably most of my life, so I am well aware of the challenges but also the…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI shall address those two separate points. Data collection is something that challenges me every day, along with vetting. As someone who has run a business where I had all the…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThere are some good reasons why we do not want internet everywhere in prisons, but 90% of the English estate now has digital learning in its cells in various ways: Launchpad or…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThe noble Lord is correct that it cuts the actual provision: the budget we have has gone up, but you just get less value for money. This comes back to my aeroplane theory: I want…24 Feb 2026HANSARDBetter Prisons: Less Crime (Justice and Home Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, it is a privilege to close this debate on a topic that is very close to my heart. I was thrilled to see that so many new noble Lords chose this occasion to make their…12 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewMy Lords, I welcome the opportunity to discuss with your Lordships this evening Jonathan Hall KC’s independent review of separation centres and the Government’s response to it. I…10 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI would be delighted to write to the noble Lord about the de-escalation training. He is right that human relationships are important in these closed environments. In fact, in all…10 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI am, of course, very concerned for every prisoner refusing food. Our highly experienced staff work with prisoners to encourage them to end their refusal wherever possible.…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesLet me be very clear. I do not want to see any person in our prisons die, and I am very grateful for the hard work of healthcare and prison staff throughout the estate to make…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI thank the noble Lord for his question and concern, because we were all concerned about what was happening. I spent an awful lot of time making sure that all the policies and…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesSo far as the court backlogs and the length of time on remand are concerned, the situation is of course similar to what I inherited in the prisons. We need a sustainable system.…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesOur prison and probation staff do an incredible job in dealing with some of the most complicated people in this country. When they turn up to work, they turn up to help people…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesThe noble Viscount is correct. This is a clinical decision, and that is why the work with our prison staff and health partners is so vital.02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI thank my noble friend. It is vital that, because so many people leave prison with drug, alcohol and mental health issues, we carry on that care with our health partners when…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesPrison rules are there for a very good purpose, and rules are rules. It is the same for any prisoner, on remand or not. If any prisoner is not content, their concerns can be…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI spend a lot of my time going around prisons, meeting staff, meeting prisoners and seeing probation areas as well. There are already well-established routes. If prisoners and…02 Feb 2026