Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been transferred (a) between prisons and (b) from prison to court in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) use private contractors to transfer prisoners across the prison estate. A breakdown of the numbers of transfers between prison establishments, and between prisons and courts that took place in each month during the last year is set out in the table below. The data for December 2020 has not yet been collated and therefore not currently available.
| Dec 19 | Jan 20 | Feb 20 | Mar 20 | Apr 20 | May 20 | Jun 20 | Jul 20 | Aug 20 | Sep 20 | Oct 20 | Nov 20 |
Inter Prison Transfer | 4722 | 5496 | 5059 | 4930 | 972 | 2375 | 2776 | 3198 | 3509 | 4099 | 4434 | 4414 |
Prison to Court | 11178 | 13655 | 12739 | 9938 | 523 | 1310 | 2691 | 5552 | 7300 | 6910 | 7788 | 7457 |
Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate. HMPPS continues to closely monitor the performance of all providers.
The safety of our staff and those under our supervision remains our top priority, and we have taken quick and decisive action – backed by Public Health England and Wales – to limit the spread of the virus. Regular testing of prisoners upon reception at prison establishments continues to be conducted, along with the use of Reverse Cohorting Units to limit possible spread from new arrivals.