Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison officers in England and Wales hold work visas which are due to expire in 2026; and what assessment they have made of the effect of this on the morale of staff and good order within the prison estate.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice holds data pertaining to employees who have limited leave to remain. This data includes all employees, past or present, for whom this would be the case, but there is no functionality to withdraw any ex-employees from the data other than manually checking every file. To provide an accurate response to the question would be of disproportionate cost.
We are clear that net migration, as a whole must, come down. We will of course provide support to those affected by the changes to Immigration Rules, and anyone with a Skilled Worker visa can be considered for an extension where possible.
We are working with Home Office colleagues to consider the impact of the reforms and options to ensure the safety and stability of our prisons. We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prison regimes.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prison officers in England and Wales were recruited from (1) the Commonwealth, and (2) the European Union, in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of these earn in excess of £41,700 a year.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data in a single central system. Information on nationality, new joiners, and salary is recorded across separate administrative systems, and linking these datasets accurately would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of recruitment and retention of prison officers in England and Wales; and how many positions are vacant due to retirement, resignation or ill health.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We know that sufficient and skilled frontline staffing is fundamental to delivering safe, secure, and rehabilitative prisons. We remain committed to ensuring prisons are sufficiently resourced and that we retain and build levels of experience.
Substantive recruitment efforts will continue at all prisons where vacancies exist or are projected, with targeted interventions applied to those prisons with the most need. We closely monitor staffing levels across the estate, including at a regional level, and look to provide short-term tactical support where possible. Where establishments feel that their staffing levels will affect stability or regime, there are a number of ways they can maximise the use of their own resource and seek support from other establishments in the short term, through processes managed nationally at Agency level.
HMPPS has a retention strategy in place which is linked to wider activities around employee experience, employee lifecycle, and staff engagement at work. Alongside the strategy a retention toolkit has been introduced which identifies local, regional, and national interventions against the drivers of attrition, which are utilised by establishments to ensure that they are embedding individual Retention Plans.
HMPPS publishes the following data as part of the HMPPS Workforce quarterly statistics for prison officers. This includes:
The number of prison officers appointed to HMPPS annually, consisting of direct new recruits and existing staff who converted to a band 3 officer grade;
Resignation rates cover the rate for those who voluntarily resigned from the organisation;
Leaving rates covers the rate for all leavers and all reasons for leaving, including deaths, resignation, dismissals and redundancies; and,
Reasons for leaving for prison officers.
This data can be accessed via the following link: HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: September 2025 - GOV.UK:. Table 1 below gives an overview of Band 3-5 prison officer joiners, leavers, leaving rate and resignation rate: 2019/20 to 2024/25:
Table 1: Band 3-5 prison officer joiners, leavers, leaving rate and resignation rate: 2019/20 to 2024/25
12 months to end of… | Number of joiners | Number of leavers | Leaving rate | Resignation rate |
Mar-20 | 2,317 | 2,852 | 12.2% | 8.0% |
Mar-21 | 2,410 | 2,116 | 9.2% | 5.4% |
Mar-22 | 3,845 | 3,386 | 14.5% | 10.9% |
Mar-23 | 4,314 | 3,331 | 14.6% | 9.7% |
Mar-24 | 4,821 | 3,170 | 13.2% | 8.5% |
Mar-25 | 2,416 | 3,047 | 12.5% | 8.3% |
Sep-25 | 1,971 | 2,622 | 10.9% | 7.0% |
HMPPS also publishes the difference between Staff in Post (SIP) and Target Staffing Figures (TSF) for Band 3 to 5 Prison Officers at establishment and national level in the Annex of the workforce quarterly publication (Table 4 of the Prison and Probation Officer Recruitment Annex, which can also be accessed via the link above). There was a difference of 1,225 FTE between the SIP and TSF for Band 3-5 prison officers in HMPPS at the end of September 2025. We are unable to attribute specific vacancies to reasons for leaving and as such, cannot calculate a breakdown of vacancies by reasons for leaving.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the online auction of a human female half skeleton by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 14 July, whether they plan to issue advice to relevant trade associations, internet auctioneers, and regulatory authorities, to regulate or prevent the further sale of human remains and body parts.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government calls on all auction houses to scrutinise their activities and for anyone trading in human remains to consider carefully the ethical implications of this activity which many understandably find deeply disturbing. All human remains should be treated with respect and dignity. This did not happen with this sale. I have written to Richard Winterton Auctioneers and other relevant bodies to raise concerns about this issue. UK auction houses currently set their own standards and best practice, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will meet with the Department for Health and Social Care in the Autumn to discuss the sale of human remains at auction and online.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take following the online auction of a human female half skeleton by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 14 July.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government calls on all auction houses to scrutinise their activities and for anyone trading in human remains to consider carefully the ethical implications of this activity which many understandably find deeply disturbing. All human remains should be treated with respect and dignity. This did not happen with this sale. I have written to Richard Winterton Auctioneers and other relevant bodies to raise concerns about this issue. UK auction houses currently set their own standards and best practice, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will meet with the Department for Health and Social Care in the Autumn to discuss the sale of human remains at auction and online.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, as a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, what steps they are taking to address the concerns of the indigenous people of Nagaland about the public auction of the body parts of their ancestors.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We recognise the important global contribution that all Indigenous Peoples make to climate change mitigation, biodiversity preservation, and inclusive and sustainable development, and support global efforts to recognise and advance their contribution.
It is for businesses and auction rooms to consider the consent and licensing provisions of the UK Human Tissue Act 2004. Those who sell or purchase human remains may also be subject to their own professional standards and codes of conduct.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights impact of the conflict in Myanmar on the indigenous people of Nagaland; and when Government representatives last visited Naga territories in (1) India, and (2) Myanmar.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK remains deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Myanmar and its impact on all communities, including those in border regions. We are aware of reports that the violence and instability have affected indigenous populations in neighbouring areas, including the Naga people. We condemn all human rights atrocities committed in Myanmar, notably by the military regime. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar calling for the military regime to fully respect and protect the human rights of all persons in Myanmar, including ethnic and religious minorities. British Officials have not recently visited the Naga territories in India, and have not been able to visit Naga territories in Myanmar since the coup in February 2021.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of civil society, youth and religious organisations in negotiating reconciliation and restorative justice in (1) conflict areas with disputed boundaries, and (2) Nagaland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
His Majesty's Government recognises the vital role that civil society, youth, and religious organisations play in fostering reconciliation and promoting restorative justice in conflict-affected regions. These actors are often uniquely placed to build trust, mediate dialogue, and support inclusive peacebuilding processes at the grassroots level.
In relation to conflict areas with disputed boundaries, the Government continues to support initiatives that empower local communities and civil society actors to engage in dialogue, reduce tensions, and promote peaceful coexistence. With regard to Nagaland, while the UK does not have a direct role in the peace process, we continue to monitor developments closely.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their obligations, as a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to the indigenous people of Nagaland.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to human rights globally. We recognise the important global contribution that all Indigenous Peoples make to climate change mitigation, biodiversity preservation, and inclusive and sustainable development, and support global efforts to recognise and advance their contribution.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of UK aid delivered to (1) Nigeria, (2) Ghana, and (3) other Sub-Saharan African countries, was spent on (a) clinical training, and (b) strengthening health systems, in those countries in each of the past three years.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK remains committed to global health. Strong, national health systems are the foundation for all aspects of health, from essential childhood immunisation to global health security. We align investments behind the priorities of partner countries. In Nigeria, the LAFIYA-UK programme strengthens systems to improve health and nutrition services. The proportion of UK aid spent on health from the bilateral budget was 11 per cent in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and 19 per cent in 2024-25. In Ghana, our Partnership Beyond Aid and Leave No One Behind programmes have improved quality, efficiency and resilience in the health system, and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups. The proportion of UK aid spent on health from the bilateral budget was 23 per cent in 2022-23, 30 per cent in 2023-2024, and 19 per cent in 2024-2025. The UK also provides significant support to strengthening the global health workforce through multilateral investments such as the World Health Organisation, World Bank and the Global Health Initiatives, who support in-service clinical training for health workers. Our multilateral contribution on global health totalled £3.1 billion in 2021-2023 and the Department of Health and Social Care's Global Health Workforce Programme (£15 million from 2023-2026) supports the development of the health workforce in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.