Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative impact of providing (1) a PIN telephone system, and (2) in-cell telephones, on the number of calls prisoners and young offenders make to (a) family members, (b) support workers, and (c) others in the community.

In-cell telephony has now superseded the former PIN system in all prisons in the closed estate. The introduction of in-cell telephony across the prison estate has significantly improved the ability of prisoners and young people to access support, and to establish and maintain relationships.

We know phone calls help prisoners maintain family ties and relationships which are vital to their rehabilitation and, therefore, cutting crime.

The table below provides an annual breakdown of call volumes and time spent on calls, since 2013, in prisons managed by HM Prison & Probation Service. The figure for 2024 (*) covers the six months up to 30 June.

It would not be possible to provide the requested disaggregation of calls by type of recipient without incurring disproportionate cost.