Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure the separation of sex offenders from other prisoners currently housed together at HM Prison Northumberland; and if he will make a statement.

Sex offenders at HM Prison Northumberland are accommodated separately from mainstream prisoners. On occasion, following a risk assessment, a vulnerable prisoner who is not a sex offender may be removed from the mainstream accommodation for his own protection and placed in the sex offender accommodation.

Work is under way to reduce the number of other vulnerable prisoners co-located with sex offenders. New assessment and review processes are about to be implemented. Transfers to other prisons will be arranged where appropriate.