Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Metcalfe and Damian Hinds

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

17. What steps he is taking to help prisoners develop new skills.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Damian Hinds)]

Among other things, we are renewing the prisoner education service, establishing an employability innovation fund, and ensuring that skills acquired match business need through close work with employers.

--- Later in debate ---

[Damian Hinds]

In relation to the probation service, which I think the hon. Gentleman is asking about, we are investing in increasing staff numbers and ensuring that those staff have the right support, and we have seen those staff numbers grow. It is also important, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State just said, that we learn from when things go wrong or have gone wrong in the past and ensure we respond appropriately.

[Stephen Metcalfe]

Getting prisoners with substance abuse issues into meaningful skills training first requires getting them off drugs. Can my right hon. Friend tell the House what he is doing to help prisoners and to tackle drugs in prisons?

[Damian Hinds]

My hon. Friend is quite right; that is a crucial part of the jigsaw, together with maintaining family ties. In a major new initiative, we are creating up to 18 new drug recovery wings so that prisoners can focus on achieving abstinence not only from illicit drugs, but from prescribed substitutes. We are also increasing the number of incentivised substance-free living units and have been investing strongly in prison security to stop drugs getting in in the first place.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Metcalfe and Damian Hinds

Tuesday 16th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Damian Hinds]

The coalition Government had a very strong record on extending childcare, and we are going to go much further in this Parliament with the extension from 15 to 30 hours of childcare for the three and four-year-old children of working parents, the introduction of tax-free credits and the further extension of childcare provision under universal credit when that migration happens.

[Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con)]

14. What his policy is on the future ring-fencing of the science budget.