Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of installing grills on the windows of prison cells in each of the last three years.

The Government is committed to preventing escapes and reducing the number of illicit items conveyed into prisons. Window bars can assist in meeting both objectives. Windows are built to a specific technical standard which takes into account security needs. No part of the window should be able to be dismantled to allow concealment or be misused as an aid to escape or injury.

In the financial year ending March 2021 approximately £400,000 (excluding VAT) was spent on installing grills on windows. This estimate may not capture all spending as the systems in place are not set up specifically to retrieve such information. Figures for previous years are unavailable. Windows without bars are being installed in new Category C Resettlement prisons. They have been tested to ensure that they meet HMPPS strict safety and security standards and do not compromise on security, providing protection against damage and contraband smuggling. There is no significant cost difference between the windows being installed and the alternative where bars are used. There should be significant well-being benefits to prisoners’ mental health by having windows without bars.