Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Report on an unannounced inspection of HMP Hull by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published on 2 November 2021, what steps he will take to address the reduction in ratings at HMP Hull across all four healthy prison outcomes between 2018 and 2021.

We recognise that improvements need to be made at HMP Hull, which as noted by the report, has been significantly impacted by Covid. A robust plan is in place to improve standards and outcomes. As COVID risks reduce, the prison plans further to open up the regime to enable prisoner progression while keeping prisoners and staff safe; and healthcare improvements are being driven through a new Health improvement and assurance board. We agree with the Chief Inspector’s assessment that this is a time of potential and opportunity for the prison.

An action plan will be published in due course which will set out the actions being taken to address the recommendations.