Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the INQUEST report entitled Deaths of racialised people in prison 2015-2022: Challenging racism and discrimination, published on 12 October 2022, if he will make it his policy to pause current plans for prison expansion due to the potential harms prisons can present.

We have delivered to date over 3,100 additional prison places as part of a significant build programme delivering safe, secure and modern places across the country.

We have done this to protect the public and make the streets safer, meet projected demand from the courts and deliver manifesto commitments. The modern facilities we are delivering will also enable us to provide a safer and more secure custodial environment and to provide more opportunities to intervene and aid prisoners to turn their back on crime.

We are committed to improving outcomes for those from ethnic minority backgrounds. In March 2022, we published our response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report and committed to 74 actions across Government for a more inclusive and integrated society, including in relation to criminal justice.