Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the provisions of the Courts Bill as introduced will include measures to strengthen the (a) Inspectorate of Prisons and (b) Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Robust, independent scrutiny is an essential part of our prison system. We take reports from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) extremely seriously and will continue to do so.

However, we are further committed to strengthening the role of HMIP and the PPO. This can be taken forward without primary legislation and so will not be in the Courts Bill. We will take opportunities where Parliamentary time allows to introduce measures to improve safety and security.