Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will re-examine the report A Place of Redemption, published by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales in 2004, in the light of the most recent safety in custody statistics.

We are grateful to the Noble Lord for reminding us of this important publication. We believe that prisons should be places of safety that allow offenders the opportunity to take part in productive activity and to work towards rehabilitation. That is why we are recruiting 2,500 more prison officers, and implementing a comprehensive Safety Programme that addresses the key issues associated with self-harm and suicide in prisons. The programme includes improvements to the early days in custody and the prison environment, and better identification of and support for prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide.