Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference the report, Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2018, published by his Department on 25 October 2018, what assessment he has made of the factors that have contributed to the increase in recorded (a) assaults, (b) assaults on wardens, and (c) instances of self-harm in prisons.

The causes of self-harm and violence in prisons are complex. They include “imported factors”, such as the characteristics of the population coming into prison, and “custodial factors”, such as the nature of the prison environment and regime.

The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep staff and prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm, suicide and violence across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody.

Our prison staff work incredibly hard and we are under no illusions about the challenges they face. Assaults on our staff will never be tolerated. That is why we are working with the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure successful prosecutions of those who assault them. It is also why the Government supported the recently passed Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which increases sentences for those who attack emergency workers, including prison officers. We are taking further measures to protect our staff, including investing in 5,600 body-worn cameras and in rigid-bar handcuffs. Early next year we will begin to equip every prison officer in the adult male prison estate with PAVA incapacitant spray. PAVA can help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, as well as being a tool to persuade prisoners in the act of violence to stop.

But the key to this must be consistent management of prisoner behaviour with clear expectations.

We have invested in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes. We have also introduced the new key worker role, under which staff can give prisoners more effective challenge and support. We are taking action in a number of ways to identify and support prisoners at risk, including:

• rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (this has already reached more than 17,000 staff);
• improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody;
• revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; and

renewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.