Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, and (c) prosecuted for having illicit relationships with prison inmates in each year since 2020, broken down by offence group.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The table below shows the number of prison officers at Bands 3-5 convicted in each of the last five years of an offence of misconduct in public office, where the offence related to an inappropriate relationship with a prisoner.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Misconduct in Public Office | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 15 |
An inappropriate relationship is defined as any relationship that compromises a staff member’s ability to appropriately perform their duties.
The figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) defendants and (b) witnesses have requested translation services in each year since 2020 broken down by (i) ethnicity and (ii) nationality.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number of defendants or witnesses that have requested translation services. The booking portal does not collect information on whether the individual making the request is a defendant or witness and also does not collect information on the ethnicity and nationality of the requestor.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences: second report by Jonathan Fisher KC.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government has received Jonathan Fisher KC’s second report and will publish it, along with a government response, in due course.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many legal aid providers have represented appellants in the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber in each year since 2020.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information about the number of distinct provider offices completing at least one case in the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) in each financial year since 2020 can be found in the table below:
Financial Years | Number of provider offices |
2020-21 | 252 |
2021-22 | 235 |
2022-23 | 227 |
2023-24 | 217 |
2024-25 | 224 |
Legal aid for immigration and asylum services, including proceedings before the First Tier Tribunal is subject to both a legal merits test and an assessment of the individual’s financial circumstances.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding has been provided to legal aid providers to represent appellants in the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber in each year since 2020, broken down by (a) ethnicity, and (b) nationality of the appellant.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Legal aid expenditure in respect of cases before the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) broken down by ethnicity is set out in the annexed table. Data is self-reported to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) by applicants or their legal aid solicitor, it is not verified by the LAA. It is not mandatory for applicants to complete the Equality and Diversity section of an application. Where this has been left blank ethnicity is recorded as ‘unknown’.
Legal aid funding is not paid directly to the individual in receipt of legal aid. Legal aid is only paid to legal providers for the provision of legal advice and representation. Data in the annexed table therefore reflects expenditure relating to bills submitted by legal aid providers.
Information relating to nationality of applicants is not centrally held.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much legal aid funding has been provided to appellants in the First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber in each year since 2020, broken down by (a) ethnicity, and (b) nationality of the appellant.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Legal aid expenditure in respect of cases before the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) broken down by ethnicity is set out in the annexed table. Data is self-reported to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) by applicants or their legal aid solicitor, it is not verified by the LAA. It is not mandatory for applicants to complete the Equality and Diversity section of an application. Where this has been left blank ethnicity is recorded as ‘unknown’.
Legal aid funding is not paid directly to the individual in receipt of legal aid. Legal aid is only paid to legal providers for the provision of legal advice and representation. Data in the annexed table therefore reflects expenditure relating to bills submitted by legal aid providers.
Information relating to nationality of applicants is not centrally held.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the Youth Custody Service.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Youth Justice Worker (YJW) recruitment process includes multiple assessment stages designed to test candidates against the YJW success profile and give them realistic insight into the role. The success profile is based on job analysis with serving YJWs and identifies the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for effective practice.
YJWs have a defined progression pathway. After completing their 12 month probation, they are offered a Level 4 qualification focused on working with children and young people in custody.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has a comprehensive approach to improving retention across the Prison and Probation Services. The Retention Framework sets out how data and insight are used to identify drivers of attrition and guide targeted interventions. This is supported by a retention toolkit, structured exit interviews, and an oversight process that conducts deep dive reviews at high attrition sites. National activity is coordinated through the Retention Delivery Committee to ensure alignment and minimise operational impact.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison places have been closed due to reasons concerning (a) health and safety, (b) security, (c) resources and (d) physical conditions in each year since 2010, broken down by location.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The information requested has been provided in the table below. Please note that, since 2010, 23 prisons (7519 places) have been permanently closed. The site-specific reasons for closure vary, but in the main these prisons were assessed as old and uneconomic and the decision to close was based on the suitability, sustainability and the cost of running and maintaining these prisons. For the purposes of the breakdown in the table below, these full prison closures have been identified as “physical conditions”
Some of the places included on the list below as closed due to physical conditions have either been, or are due to be, returned following refurbishment. This includes places removed at Liverpool, Birmingham, Haverigg ,Feltham and Swinfen Hall.
Year | Prison | (a) health & safety | (b) security | (c) resources | (d) physical conditions | Total |
2011 | Ashwell* |
|
|
| -214 | -214 |
| Brockhill (Hewell)* |
|
|
| -170 | -170 |
| Lancaster Castle* |
|
|
| -243 | -243 |
| Latchmere House* |
|
|
| -207 | -207 |
2011 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -834 | -834 |
2012 | Wellingborough* |
|
|
| -588 | -588 |
2012 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -588 | -588 |
2013 | Blundeston* |
|
|
| -526 | -526 |
| Bullwood Hall* |
|
|
| -228 | -228 |
| Camp Hill (IoW)* |
|
|
| -595 | -595 |
| Canterbury* |
|
|
| -314 | -314 |
| Dorchester* |
|
|
| -291 | -291 |
| Gloucester* |
|
|
| -321 | -321 |
| Kingston* |
|
|
| -205 | -205 |
| Northallerton* |
|
|
| -252 | -252 |
| Reading* |
|
|
| -320 | -320 |
| Shepton Mallet* |
|
|
| -189 | -189 |
| Shrewsbury* |
|
|
| -341 | -341 |
2013 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -3582 | -3582 |
2014 | Feltham |
|
|
| -112 | -112 |
2014 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -112 | -112 |
2015 | Blantyre House* |
|
|
| -122 | -122 |
| Dover* |
|
|
| -401 | -401 |
| Feltham |
|
|
| -36 | -36 |
| Haslar* |
|
|
| -197 | -197 |
| Rochester |
|
|
| -60 | -60 |
2015 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -816 | -816 |
2016 | Haverigg |
| -335 |
|
| -335 |
| Hindley | -28 |
|
|
| -28 |
| Holloway* |
|
|
| -591 | -591 |
| Kennet* |
|
|
| -342 | -342 |
2016 Total |
| -28 | -335 | 0 | -933 | -1296 |
2017 | Glen Parva* |
|
|
| -638 | -638 |
| Guys Marsh |
|
|
| -66 | -66 |
| Liverpool |
|
|
| -172 | -172 |
| Rochester |
|
|
| -60 | -60 |
| Swinfen Hall |
|
|
| -30 | -30 |
2017 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -966 | -966 |
2018 | Birmingham |
|
|
| -306 | -306 |
| Haverigg |
|
|
| -40 | -40 |
| Liverpool |
|
|
| -234 | -234 |
2018 Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | -580 | -580 |
2019 | Aylesbury |
|
|
| -235 | -235 |
| Birmingham |
|
|
| -167 | -167 |
| Hindley | -28 |
|
|
| -28 |
| Swinfen Hall |
|
|
| -30 | -30 |
2019 Total |
| -28 | 0 | 0 | -432 | -460 |
2020 | Haverigg | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Hewell Grange* |
|
|
| -224 | -224 |
| Spring Hill | -35 |
|
|
| -35 |
| Erlestoke | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Ford | -96 |
|
|
| -96 |
| Foston Hall | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Kirkham | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Kirklevington Grange | -120 |
|
|
| -120 |
| Littlehey | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Norwich | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Standford Hill | -24 |
|
|
| -24 |
| Wayland | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
2020 Total |
| -755 | 0 | 0 | -224 | -979 |
2021 | Spring Hill | -45 |
|
|
| -45 |
| Channings Wood | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Ford | -179 |
|
|
| -179 |
| Hatfield | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Highpoint | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Hollesley Bay | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Leyhill | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Low Newton | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| New Hall | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| North Sea Camp | -120 |
|
|
| -120 |
| Northumberland | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Prescoed | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Send | -80 |
|
|
| -80 |
| Standford Hill | -56 |
|
|
| -56 |
| Sudbury | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Whatton | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Wymott | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
2021 Total |
| -1080 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1080 |
2022 | Bedford |
|
|
| -32 | -32 |
| Eastwood Park | -20 |
|
|
| -20 |
| Guys Marsh | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Spring Hill | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
| Highpoint | -40 |
|
|
| -40 |
2022 Total |
| -140 | 0 | 0 | -32 | -172 |
2023 | Deerbolt |
|
|
| -19 | -19 |
| Gartree | -3 |
|
|
| -3 |
| Isle of Wight |
|
|
| -52 | -52 |
| Leicester | -6 |
|
|
| -6 |
2023 Total |
| -9 | 0 | 0 | -71 | -80 |
2024 | Deerbolt |
|
|
| -20 | -20 |
| Dartmoor** | -640 |
|
|
| -640 |
| Elmley | -114 |
|
|
| -114 |
| Gartree | -6 |
|
|
| -6 |
| Hull | -2 |
|
|
| -2 |
2024 Total |
| -762 | 0 | 0 | -20 | -782 |
2025 | Eastwood Park | -20 |
|
|
| -20 |
2025 Total |
| -20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -20 |
Total |
| -2822 | -335 | 0 | -9190 | -1247 |
*- Full Prison Closure | ||||||
** - Dartmoor has been temporarily closed since 2024 due to radon levels, assessment of options for this site is ongoing. | ||||||
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been (a) investigated, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed for illicit relationships with inmates in each year since 2020, broken down by sex.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
We only hold data on cases where staff were recommended for dismissal, as individuals may choose to resign before a dismissal can be formally enacted. As a result, we have used this field to respond to the question to avoid undercounting the number of people involved. This data can be found in the following tables.
Table 1: Band 3-5 prison officers(1) investigated(2) due to an allegation of 'Inappropriate Relationship with a Prisoner / Ex-Prisoner'
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Female | 31 | 36 | 24 | 32 | 34 | 31 |
Male | 9 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
Total | 40 | 45 | 28 | 39 | 40 | 42 |
Table 2: Band 3-5 prison officers facing a conduct and discipline(3), (4)charge of 'Inappropriate Relationship with a Prisoner / Ex-Prisoner'
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|
Female | 9 | ~ | ~ | 12 | 16 | 18 |
|
Male | 3 | ~ | ~ | 5 | 3 | 5 |
|
Total | 12 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 23 |
|
Table 3: Band 3-5 prison officers recommended for dismissal following a conduct and discipline(3) charge of 'Inappropriate Relationship with a Prisoner / Ex-Prisoner'
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Female | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Male | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Total | 8 | ~ | ~ | 12 | 14 | ~ |
Notes to tables:
1. Band 3-5 Officers includes Bands 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.
2. Staff subject to at least one investigation that was concluded during the relevant year.
3. Conduct and discipline cases are defined as where a penalty has been imposed on a member of HMPPS staff for a reason of conduct.
4. Staff with at least one conduct and discipline case concluded during the year. Equally staff involved in more than one case during the year are counted only once.
5. Allegations which meet a criminal threshold will be referred to the Police for investigation. If a criminal justice outcome is secured, this will result in a summary dismissal as per PSI 10/2016 Conduct and Discipline and will not be recorded against a specific ‘type’ of misconduct in the Conduct and Discipline data,
6. Years run from 1st April to 31st March.
7. In terms of the Gender data presented, the MoJ HR system holds demographic data on staff. In the HR system there is a database field called Gender. The Gender field can only be one of two options – male or female. It is filled in for all staff when new staff records are created using details to confirm identity (i.e. name, date of birth, address) from official documentation supplied by the successful job applicant. However, it is possible for this information to be updated in line with departmental policy. The Office for Statistics Regulation recognises that this is an evolving area both for society and statistics, so advice and guidance is likely to change over time.
~ denotes suppressed values of 2 or fewer or other values which would allow values of 2 or fewer to be derived by subtraction. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2018.
Additional Note:
As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure consistency of reporting. However the database itself is dynamic, and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court interpreters have been requested for translation services in each year since 2020, broken down by the language requested.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on the volume of completed language interpreter and translation services requests, split by requestor type, as part of the Criminal court statistics release. However, published data is not broken down by language.
Criminal Court Statistics: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK
The Ministry of Justice has provided a table in the attachment showing the number of completed service requests both through contracts (with thebigword Group Ltd and Clarion UK Ltd) and off-contract, for each year from 2020 to 2024, split by language. The table is a breakdown of the published figures, split by language.
Given the request for ‘court interpreters’, we have filtered the data to include criminal courts and civil & family courts. We have not included data for Tribunals or other types of Ministry of Justice interpreter usage.
Data has not been provided for 2025 as we do not yet have a complete dataset for this year.