Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP Wayland, published on 23 November 2021, what steps he is taking to (a) eliminate the shortfall of 28 FTE Band 3 prison office staff at HMP Wayland and (b) increase staffing levels to a level that is compatible with rehabilitation and security.

A number of initiatives have been put in place to support an increase in staffing at HMP Wayland including a bespoke recruitment campaign for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk (BCN) region, supported by a dedicated local recruitment taskforce to increase focus on candidate engagement, attendance at local outreach events , and provide information to help and encourage people to apply.

The campaign aims to attract sufficient applications to support all the prisons within the cluster and offers an incentive to candidates who apply to establishments which have previously had less applications.

In addition to the external recruitment activity, an internal level transfer campaign has been delivered and applications are being progressed. This is a great opportunity for HMP Wayland to welcome experienced officers to the establishment, and to allow for the cross-fertilisation of knowledge, skills and experience.