Speeches by Davies-Jones.

“Yes.”

“We currently have eight full-time caseworkers on this, but that is only because we have one case left outstanding—notwithstanding any others that come forward, in terms of self-identifying. As of November 2024, there was a much larger team working on this. Currently there are eight full-time caseworkers, but we are abl…”

“Yes.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“There is a discrepancy here with how Mrs Eaton did not receive communication, which we need to find out about, because she should have been written to.”

“Yes, Chair. The individuals we have working on this are extremely dedicated in the Ministry of Justice. The caseworkers have taken this personally and to heart. We have got a brilliant and dedicated team of individuals who are seeking to right this wrong. The entire country has been captured by this grave miscarriage o…”

“We will get you those figures, Chair.”

“Yes.”

“It has been really, really difficult, as you will have heard, to trace individuals to get them to come forward—even when they are more than entitled to compensation that is, quite rightfully, legally theirs. We have had a lot of difficulty reaching a large number of applicants and claimants, given data discrepancies. W…”

“Yes. Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Committee. I was present for the last two sessions, but I have been following the Committee quite closely all day, and the direct testimony of victims in particular has been harrowing and difficult to hear. When we talk about figures and numbers, it is important to remember t…”

“Two-hundred and five. Is that correct?”

“Yes, and we do.”

“My hon. Friend is right: the levels are decreasing. That is due to the strong and robust frameworks on absconding prisoners that we are putting in place. We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse and took immediate action days after coming into office to stabilise our prisons. We are bearing down on release…”

“The hon. Lady is correct. We are investing in the IT systems in our prisons, which are needed to reduce releases in error, and in the brilliant and brave men and women who serve on the frontline as prison officers, day in, day out in very difficult conditions. They have been chronically underfunded for the past 14 year…”

“I totally agree with my hon. Friend. This is just another symptom of the crisis we inherited in our criminal justice system. Whether prisons, courts or probation, every single aspect of the system was at breaking point following 14 years of underfunding and mismanagement by the Conservative party. We are working as qui…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question. As he will be aware from my previous answers, absconds have actually decreased across our open prison estate: they have come down by 2% on the previous year. However, whenever an abscond happens, a rapid review will take place. A rapid review is taking place into the abscon…”

“The hon. Lady will be aware that the policy regarding recommendations for moving to an open prison is handled by the independent Parole Board. That is a policy that has been carried out by successive Governments. I will ensure that she receives a meeting with the appropriate Minister to discuss her concerns further, an…”

“I welcome that positive question. My hon. Friend is right that this this is going to take all of us working together across the prison system—everyone in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. I again pay tribute to our brilliant staff who are working on the frontline in very difficult, challenging conditions ever…”

“I congratulate the hon. Member on his happy news over the Christmas break. It is lovely for us to have some positive news to celebrate in this place. In April 2025, the Government introduced changes to the eligibility for open conditions from three years to five. We also strengthened mandatory checks in offender assess…”

“Nothing—absolutely nothing. Absconds decreased under the previous Labour Government, and that trend carried on under the Tories until they failed—they have the poorest ever record. The number is down 2% on last year. The Conservatives’ failure to get to grips with this, fund our prisons and probation system effectively…”