Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report, Independent investigation into the death of Mr Timothy Slater, following his release from HMP Hewell, on 24 October 2019, published by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman in April 2020.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman concluded that the care offered to Mr Slater at HMP Hewell was of a good standard, but raised concerns about the fact that he was restrained when he was taken to hospital for treatment. The Governor of HMP Hewell has accepted and acted upon the two recommendations in the report and implemented a process. This ensures that, in accordance with national policy, decisions about the use of restraints are informed by risk assessments that fully take into account the health of a prisoner and are based on the risk they present at the time.

Our thoughts remain with the family of Mr Slater.