Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the announcement entitled, Minister announces 10 Prisons Project to develop new model of excellence, whether his Department has established an office to oversee that project.

The ‘10 Prisons Project’ was launched on 17 August, with the aim of making a real difference in a group of challenging prisons within 12 months. Fundamentally we want to create – through training, clear expectations, and good management – a culture which supports and respects prisoners, whilst challenging poor behaviour and reducing violence. These 10 sites will then serve as models of excellence for the rest of the estate to follow.

To support that, we have set up an Operations Room in the Ministry of Justice to chart progress in each of the jails, with staff from the headquarters of the Ministry and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service supporting prisons and driving the work forward.