Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent reduction in staff numbers in prisons on (a) prisoners' access to education and (b) prisoners' access to recreational activities.

As the Justice Secretary said in the House on 6 September, the retention of staff is a very important issue, and we are stepping up our recruitment efforts. Prison officers and teachers are vital in turning around offenders and getting them the education and skills they need to succeed outside. Our prison officers are doing a fantastic job getting prisoners into education.