Written questions by Morris.

How many people have been waiting (a) more than three months, (b) more than six months and (c) more than 12 months for security and vetting clearance required for employment in the prison service.

Awaiting answer.

How many people are awaiting completion of security and vetting checks before commencing employment within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

Awaiting answer.

What steps is the Minister taking to improve the speed of security and vetting checks for prison service applicants.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in security and vetting processes on staffing levels across the prison estate.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the statistical analysis of prison leavers in England entitled Prison leavers in substance misuse treatment: 4-week outcomes – report, published 23 April 2026.

Awaiting answer.

If he will make an estimate of the cumulative number of years of experience held by prison officers in each year since 2010.

The cumulative length of service, in years, held by public sector band 3-5 prison officers is given in the following table. Figures are given as at 31 December each year.Table 1 – Cumulative length of service1 of public sector band 3-5 prison officers2 in England and Wales, as at 31 December each year from 2010 to 20253DateNumber of prison officers in post Cumulative length of service of these prison officers (Years)(Full Time Equivalent)31/12/201024,501329,35331/12/201123,054326,56331/12/201221,841326,66031/12/201318,731287,92131/12/201417,796278,25831/12/201518,226271,98431/12/201617,879261,50131/12/201719,892253,28631/12/201822,673247,62031/12/201922,100245,85531/12/202021,485242,22931/12/202122,057239,72331/12/202221,546226,36731/12/202323,174219,79231/12/202423,041215,66031/12/202522,067213,125 Notes:1. The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS2. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers3. The dates reflect the Full Time Equivalent and cumulative years of service at that particular point of the year.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of utilising alcohol interlock technology as part of judicial sentencing criteria.

We believe that the courts should have the flexibility they need to sentence offenders appropriately and, as part of a community or suspended sentence the courts have a range of robust powers to punish and rehabilitate offenders and protect the public. This includes the option for an Alcohol Abstinence and Monitoring Requirement (AAMR) which imposes an alcohol ban for up to 120 days, with compliance electronically monitored using an alcohol tag.Published statistics show a compliance rate with the ban of 97.2% for days monitored, since introduction: Electronic Monitoring Statistics Publication, June 2023 - GOV.UK. The courts also have powers to include treatment requirements as part of a sentence served in the community, with the aim of addressing the root causes of offending.The Ministry of Justice is committed to continuous improvement and innovation, and we will continue to assess the capabilities and reliability of technology.

What estimate he has made of the funding required for community drug and alcohol treatment providers to support the additional cohort of offenders serving sentences in the community under the provisions of the Sentencing Bill.

We know that continued engagement with treatment is vital to addressing the underlying causes of offending. That is why we want to divert offenders with a substance misuse need away from custody and into community treatment where appropriate. For those where a prison sentence is appropriate, we need to make prison a place that reforms offenders and supports them to recover from substance misuse. The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure that all offenders who need it have access to high-quality alcohol and substance misuse treatment. Responsibility for commissioning and delivery of substance misuse treatment in the community lies with Local Authorities, and NHS England is responsible for treatment in custody. While decisions about future funding positions are ongoing, they are considering the needs of offenders. This is demonstrated by DHSC’s existing, targeted investment to support those referred by the criminal justice system, including funding 575 drug and alcohol workers with criminal justice specialisms who work closely with prisons, probation and in courts as well as the police to improve access to and quality of treatment. The National Partnership Agreement sets out the basis of a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the way in which the partners will work together. The Ministry of Justice’s overall Impact Assessment was published with the Sentencing Bill and noted that more offenders can be expected to be diverted from short custodial sentences to suspended sentence orders. This will likely result in more people in the community who would have otherwise required treatment in prison needing support. We are also extending drug testing powers through the Sentencing Bill, meaning any offender on licence can be tested. This may lead to an increase in treatment referrals. The Impact Assessment sets out that delivering treatment in prison is often more costly than delivering it in the community. By diverting someone from prison, we are not increasing the number of people who need treatment but are changing the setting in which they receive it. We are working closely with DHSC on the impacts and will be engaging with the sector.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed powers for probation to test offenders on licence on the (a) capacity and (b) resourcing of local drug and alcohol treatment services.

We know that continued engagement with treatment is vital to addressing the underlying causes of offending. That is why we want to divert offenders with a substance misuse need away from custody and into community treatment where appropriate. For those where a prison sentence is appropriate, we need to make prison a place that reforms offenders and supports them to recover from substance misuse. The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure that all offenders who need it have access to high-quality alcohol and substance misuse treatment. Responsibility for commissioning and delivery of substance misuse treatment in the community lies with Local Authorities, and NHS England is responsible for treatment in custody. While decisions about future funding positions are ongoing, they are considering the needs of offenders. This is demonstrated by DHSC’s existing, targeted investment to support those referred by the criminal justice system, including funding 575 drug and alcohol workers with criminal justice specialisms who work closely with prisons, probation and in courts as well as the police to improve access to and quality of treatment. The National Partnership Agreement sets out the basis of a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the way in which the partners will work together. The Ministry of Justice’s overall Impact Assessment was published with the Sentencing Bill and noted that more offenders can be expected to be diverted from short custodial sentences to suspended sentence orders. This will likely result in more people in the community who would have otherwise required treatment in prison needing support. We are also extending drug testing powers through the Sentencing Bill, meaning any offender on licence can be tested. This may lead to an increase in treatment referrals. The Impact Assessment sets out that delivering treatment in prison is often more costly than delivering it in the community. By diverting someone from prison, we are not increasing the number of people who need treatment but are changing the setting in which they receive it. We are working closely with DHSC on the impacts and will be engaging with the sector.

What steps he is taking to ensure that prison-based treatment and rehabilitation services are adequately resourced for the provisions of the Sentencing Bill.

We know that continued engagement with treatment is vital to addressing the underlying causes of offending. That is why we want to divert offenders with a substance misuse need away from custody and into community treatment where appropriate. For those where a prison sentence is appropriate, we need to make prison a place that reforms offenders and supports them to recover from substance misuse. The Ministry of Justice works closely with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure that all offenders who need it have access to high-quality alcohol and substance misuse treatment. Responsibility for commissioning and delivery of substance misuse treatment in the community lies with Local Authorities, and NHS England is responsible for treatment in custody. While decisions about future funding positions are ongoing, they are considering the needs of offenders. This is demonstrated by DHSC’s existing, targeted investment to support those referred by the criminal justice system, including funding 575 drug and alcohol workers with criminal justice specialisms who work closely with prisons, probation and in courts as well as the police to improve access to and quality of treatment. The National Partnership Agreement sets out the basis of a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the way in which the partners will work together. The Ministry of Justice’s overall Impact Assessment was published with the Sentencing Bill and noted that more offenders can be expected to be diverted from short custodial sentences to suspended sentence orders. This will likely result in more people in the community who would have otherwise required treatment in prison needing support. We are also extending drug testing powers through the Sentencing Bill, meaning any offender on licence can be tested. This may lead to an increase in treatment referrals. The Impact Assessment sets out that delivering treatment in prison is often more costly than delivering it in the community. By diverting someone from prison, we are not increasing the number of people who need treatment but are changing the setting in which they receive it. We are working closely with DHSC on the impacts and will be engaging with the sector.

How the (a) proposed earned progression model and (b) consequential increase in tagging will operate for people released from prison without suitable accommodation.

The Sentencing Bill will introduce a new earned progression model which will see offenders enter a period of intensive supervision once they are released from custody. We are providing probation with wider powers to ensure they can continue to effectively manage offenders in the community with the level of supervision tailored according to their risk and the type of crime they committed. Alongside the progression model, we will also introduce a presumption that prison leavers will be electronically monitored to ensure they are closely monitored in the community. This will result in thousands more offenders tagged, to manage risk and increase protection for victims. The Probation Service will, however, retain the ability to exercise its professional judgement to ensure that only those who are suitable receive a tag based on an individual’s risk and circumstances including accommodation status. HMPPS delivers a transitional accommodation service, known as Community Accommodation Service – Tier 3 (CAS-3) which supports prison leavers who are at risk of being released from prison homeless and will be subject to probation supervision upon release by providing up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation. We are expanding our community accommodation service to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness while additionally we are increasing the probation annual budget to expand our community accommodation service for those at risk of homelessness, as well as tagging and monitoring tens of thousands more offenders in the community.

What the total cost has been of repairs to the infrastructure at the Oasis Restore secure school due to vandalism since it opened.

To obtain the requested information, it would be necessary to undertake a detailed examination of all records relating to expenditure on repairs, in order to identify the element attributable to vandalism, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.

How many assaults on staff have occurred at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway since it opened.

The latest published statistics for assaults relate to the period up to 31 March 2025. During that period, there were 31 assaults on staff and 10 child-on-child assaults. The total number reported to the police was five or fewer: it is not possible to provide an exact figure, as that would risk identifying individuals.In the period up to 28 August 2025, 32 weapons were found.

How many assaults at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway have been reported to the police since it opened.

The latest published statistics for assaults relate to the period up to 31 March 2025. During that period, there were 31 assaults on staff and 10 child-on-child assaults. The total number reported to the police was five or fewer: it is not possible to provide an exact figure, as that would risk identifying individuals.In the period up to 28 August 2025, 32 weapons were found.

How many children have been held at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway in each month since it opened.

The number of children at the secure school at the end of each month, to the end of July 2025, is shown in the table below. The average age was 16. Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 2024Nov 2024Dec 2024Jan 2025Feb 2025Mar 2025Apr 2025May 2025Jun 2025Jul 2025Number of children[x](1)911813171515881010(1) The symbol [x] indicates that the total is five or fewer. Where this is the case, an exact figure is not provided, in order to avoid the risk of identifying individuals.

How many children-on-children assaults have occurred at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway since it opened.

The latest published statistics for assaults relate to the period up to 31 March 2025. During that period, there were 31 assaults on staff and 10 child-on-child assaults. The total number reported to the police was five or fewer: it is not possible to provide an exact figure, as that would risk identifying individuals.In the period up to 28 August 2025, 32 weapons were found.

What the average age is of the children held at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway since it opened.

The number of children at the secure school at the end of each month, to the end of July 2025, is shown in the table below. The average age was 16. Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 2024Nov 2024Dec 2024Jan 2025Feb 2025Mar 2025Apr 2025May 2025Jun 2025Jul 2025Number of children[x](1)911813171515881010(1) The symbol [x] indicates that the total is five or fewer. Where this is the case, an exact figure is not provided, in order to avoid the risk of identifying individuals.

How many weapons have been found at the Oasis Restore secure school at Medway since it opened.

The latest published statistics for assaults relate to the period up to 31 March 2025. During that period, there were 31 assaults on staff and 10 child-on-child assaults. The total number reported to the police was five or fewer: it is not possible to provide an exact figure, as that would risk identifying individuals.In the period up to 28 August 2025, 32 weapons were found.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34243, Prisons: Education, whether prison educators who transfer from further education colleges to the private sector as a result of new Prison Education Service contracts will have access to (a) the Local Government Pension Scheme and (b) the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

I can confirm that staff transferring from further education colleges to the private sector will have access to (a) the Local Government Pension Scheme and (b) the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34243, Prisons: Education, whether New Fair Deal will apply to prison educators transferring from further education colleges to the private sector as a result of new Prison Education Service contracts.

I can confirm that the New Fair Deal will apply. The Department will honour the Government pension policy set by His Majesty’s Treasury.