Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2022 to Question 34937, on Prisoners, on how many occasions the minimum number of staff on a residential unit required during periods of unlock has not been met, in each of the past five years.

Pursuant to the answer to Question 34937 on Prisoners, the Department does not hold data on the number of prisoners per on-duty prison officer in England and Wales. This is because staffing levels in prisons change daily for several reasons including vacancies, training, sickness and operational deployments.

The Department does not hold data on how many occasions the minimum number of staff on a residential unit required during periods of unlock has not been met. Locally agreed Minimum Staffing Levels (MSLs) and secure operating levels (SDSOLs) are not held centrally by the Department.