Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 April 2019, Official Report HCWS1475 on HMP Birmingham, if he will list the new approaches that have been delivered by the private sector referred to in that Statement.

Privately-managed prisons have pioneered the use of modern technology to improve the running of establishments and help promote rehabilitation. This includes the development of in-cell telephony to help prisoners maintain ties with their families; interactive story-time activities between prisoners and their children; and the introduction of electronic kiosks, which allow prisoners to have greater control of managing their day-to-day lives. The use of body-worn video cameras was introduced by private prisons. Private prisons also have excellent facilities as standard, such as showers in cells, which it is not possible to provide in our older prisons.