Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps have been taken to improve the conditions at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre since Ofsted rated it as inadequate; and whether the contract awarded by his Department to G4S for running that centre is under review.

The safety and welfare of young people in custody is vital and the Ministry of Justice takes the issues raised in the recent Rainsbrook inspection report extremely seriously. We have taken immediate action to make sure these issues were being addressed by the operator

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) are closely monitoring the implementation of an action plan to review all elements of recruitment, selection, training and supervision at Rainsbrook, with a strong focus on improving leadership, conduct and culture. A new Director has also been put in place and formal, disciplinary action has been taken in relation to a number of staff.

YJB staff are meeting frequently with the Director and leadership team at Rainsbrook to seek evidence of timely and effective progress being made in addressing the concerns highlighted in the report. The G4S Regional Managing Director will also conduct a review of the service in conjunction with the YJB.

A further, unannounced inspection will take place in the autumn. If G4S fail to resolve the issues raised, further contractual remedies are available, including contract termination.

Contracts for the Medway and Rainsbrook Secure Training Centres are currently being retendered. Announcements regarding the competition will be made in due course.