Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support provided by HM Prison Service for the welfare of (a) Qesser Zuhrah, (b) Amy Gardiner-Gibson, (c) Jon Cink, (d) Heba Muraisi, (e) Teuta Hoxha, (f) Kamran Ahmed, (g) Muhammad Umer Khalid and (h) Lewie Chiaramellob during their hunger strike.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The safety and wellbeing of those held in our prisons is of vital importance. Healthcare in prisons is the responsibility of the NHS: Prison Service staff work with healthcare partners to ensure that those held in prison have access to the same quality and range of services as the general public receives from the NHS, as required by the Prison Rules 1999.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has well-established and effective procedures in place for managing prisoners who refuse food, and these are being followed in the case of those of the named prisoners who are currently refusing food, with appropriate medical assessment and support in place.
When a prisoner refuses food, prison staff will act immediately in accordance with the Prison Safety Policy Framework. This includes notifying healthcare professionals and conducting regular welfare checks. The Framework also provides for close monitoring of the person’s health by healthcare staff. Additionally, prison chaplaincy teams are available to provide pastoral care.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Section 133 (1ZA) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 on people wrongly convicted of crimes.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act provides for the Secretary of State to pay compensation to an individual who has suffered a miscarriage of justice, subject to meeting the statutory test. This is administrated by the Miscarriages of Justice Application Service (MOJAS). Annual data is published on MOJAS setting out number of applications and who is eligible for compensation.
The Law Commission is currently undertaking a review of the criminal appeals process, including the test for compensation payable for miscarriages of justice under section 133, and we look forward to their report in 2026.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths of prisoners in HMP Wandsworth.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.
HMP Wandsworth entered the HMPPS cluster death support process in 2023, and a task force chaired by the Prison Group Director for London has been overseeing the implementation of an action plan to address the issues arising from self-inflicted deaths. Ligature-resistant cells have been provided to Wandsworth as part of this process, among other actions including strengthening the local safety team and increasing the number of Samaritans trained Listeners who provide emotional support to fellow prisoners.
Each death is the subject of an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and a Coroner's inquest, and action is being taken to address the findings and recommendations from these investigations to help improve safety outcomes at Wandsworth.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the procedures of the Prisoner Escort and Custodial Service at HMP Wandsworth on prisoners' (a) mental and (b) physical health.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The PECS (Prisoner Escort and Custody Services) contract management team scrutinises supplier performance, ensures adherence to all applicable HMPPS policies, and assures that the care, welfare, and decency of prisoners in PECS custody is at the very core of service delivery. This commitment is further reinforced through the quarterly Welfare Partnership Board meetings, where all key stakeholders convene to collaboratively review welfare standards, share insights, and drive continuous improvement across the service.
Before any transfer, prisoners are medically assessed and cleared for travel by HM Prison healthcare professionals, ensuring they are fit for the journey.
Additionally, Enhanced Court Healthcare services delivered through the PECS contract offer timely medical assessments and interventions to support PECS supplier teams. These services, provided by paramedics and doctors either virtually or in person, ensure that any emerging health concerns during attendance at court are promptly addressed.
Collaboration with HMCTS Liaison and Diversion teams at court also provides support for individuals with vulnerabilities such as mental health conditions or learning disabilities.
Contractual delivery to HMP Wandsworth over the past three months has exceeded performance targets for timely delivery from court.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of prisoner phone call charges included in current contracts for HMP Wandsworth on prisoners..
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
This Government is aware of the importance of allowing prisoners to maintain contact with family and other positive relationships, and the positive influence this can have on their wellbeing and rehabilitation. Provision of in-cell telephony is one of several ways that we enable that contact to take place and we aim to make this affordable for prisoners.
We have negotiated a 20% reduction in call costs to all UK landline and UK mobile numbers which came into effect from 1 April 2025, which will make communication more affordable.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve (a) response times and (b) service standards at Wandsworth County Court.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Wandsworth County Court is part of the London Civil and Family Cluster. Performance is discussed weekly, and the cluster priorities agreed. Work is moved around the cluster to ensure that the quickest possible service is delivered. Continuous Improvement exercises continue to be undertaken to ensure the best customer service.
Over the last 12 months, overall workload in the cluster has reduced by 30%, and in Wandsworth by 20%. This has been achieved by sharing work with other courts, additional judicial recruitment, sitting days and digitalisation of online money claims.
While there have been significant recruitment and retention issues at Wandsworth in the past, we have now filled all vacancies following a targeted recruitment campaign.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases were awaiting hearing at Wandsworth County Court as of 1 June 2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There were 145 cases awaiting listing for a hearing and 4479 cases already listed at the week commencing 2 June 2025.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the correspondence of 12 and 26 September 2024 from the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending to the hon Member for Tooting on HMP Wandsworth, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of installing protective netting in HMP Wandsworth to prevent drone incursions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Additional netting is one of a number of measures that HMP Wandsworth is seeking to progress in the coming months, in order to address the shortcomings that have been identified by HM Inspectorate of Prisons
HM Prison & Probation Service is continuing to work collaboratively with the Metropolitan Police to ensure appropriate sharing of intelligence to support the apprehension of those involved in drone use.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the presumption of contact at the Family Court does not result in unsafe contact arrangements.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The welfare of a child must be the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions about a child’s life. This is known as the welfare principle. Prior to the application of the presumption of parental involvement, the court is legally obliged to assess if a parent poses a risk of harm to the child - if their involvement would pose a risk to the child, the presumption does not apply.
The Ministry of Justice has undertaken evidence gathering on the presumption of parental involvement, focused on its application in the family court. We will publish the evidence and proposed next steps in due course.
As part of our commitment to ensuring the justice system is designed to put victims and survivors first, including those who have experienced domestic abuse, we are carefully considering the next steps for supporting victims and survivors across the justice system, including in the family court. We are working across departments to ensure that victims and survivors are supported and that children are kept safe.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to review the recommendations of the Final Report on Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We are committed to ensuring that parties to private law children cases in the family courts are protected from harm and that the welfare of the child is always the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions about children’s lives.
The Ministry of Justice published a delivery update in May 2023 which outlined the progress made against the recommendations of the Final Report on Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases. This can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/646e0e577dd6e7000ca9b2f8/harm-panel-delivery-update.pdf.
We will now take the time to consider what more should be done to ensure that children and families are kept safe and supported throughout the family justice system.