Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 38475 on Prison Accommodation: Wales, how many temporary, single occupancy cells have been installed in Welsh prisons; how many prisoners have requested to be moved to a single occupancy cell; and how many prisoners have had that request denied.

As at 4 May 2020 we have not installed any temporary cells at Welsh prisons. Sites in Wales have assessed for temporary accommodation and we are hoping to deploy some additional capacity into some sites in May.

HMPPS does not hold information about how many prisoners have requested to be moved to a single occupancy cells, nor how many prisoners have had that request denied. This is because this information is not recorded centrally.

Upon arrival into custody, all prisoners’ suitability to share a cell is risk assessed. These assessments are based on numerous factors including index offence, health concerns and security information (such as beliefs and prejudices). There are benefits to some prisoners sharing cells for the positive impact it has on mental health and stress levels, in addition to many prisoners preferring to share a cell.