Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/YOI Norwich, published in July 2021, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of visits allocated to IMBs.

We highly value the IMB’s commitment to ensuring the safety and care of prisoners and those held in detention, and understand the importance of monitoring visits to fulfil this duty. The IMB at HMP/YOI Norwich have a complex role to fulfil, and as a result, successfully bid for an additional number of board visits over and above their original allocation from the IMB National Management Board. The current allocation will still allow for an IMB presence at HMP/YOI Norwich several times a week, allowing the IMB to carry out vital monitoring in person which can be complemented with information gathered remotely, in line with practices taken forward over the last year.