Speeches by Cox.

“Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in this country. Her case serves as a haunting reminder of a time when our justice system ignored the realities of domestic abuse and coercive control. In the decades since, members of Ruth’s family and supporters have campaigned unwaveringly for her to receive a posthumous …”

“It is encouraging to hear that SMEs will benefit from greater access to Government procurement routes. Can the Minister set out which kind of sectors in particular they think will benefit the most, because that will be of great interest to people in Colchester and the east of England?”

“Young people in Colchester will benefit from their new youth hub, which is one of 14 set up across Essex. Will the Leader of the House make time for a debate on the early impact of those youth hubs, and the youth guarantee that so brilliantly underpins them?”

“Given that range and variety, would it be possible for you to send a list of all the facilities that you know of, residential and non-residential, to the Committee?”

“Given what you say and your clear commitment to all of that, why did the plans for the centre in Swansea not come to fruition? How far was that to do with the connection between the MOJ and local planning authorities?”

“I speak from some experience of this. We were offered something like that by the MOJ in an area I know very well. The MOJ rather parachuted in and did not really connect properly with the local agencies that already provided existing support and did not win over the friends it needed to bring a facility like that into …”

“While we are on the subject of health and wellbeing, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, produced a very comprehensive report on the health of prisoners and those on probation. How is the MOJ doing in implementing many of the very robust recommendations in that report?”

“That would be helpful; thank you.”

“Thinking about procurement in the round, the Government have made changes to procurement more generally. I know that that is something that your team is keen to get right. As I recall, the MOJ was running 1,000 or more contracts two years ago. Is that still the case?”

“For the benefit of those watching, how is it possible that people are released without a roof over their head? How would you put it in lay terms?”

“Good afternoon. I am Pam Cox, the MP for Colchester. I am the chair of the APPG on penal affairs, and everything else is on the register.”

“The letter stated there had been an investigation into procurement. Do you know when that will conclude?”

“Could you elaborate a little more on that?”

“This is a question on HMP Doncaster and the operator competition. Are you able to give us any information about the potential cross-government issue that led to the competition being cancelled, and can you give us an update?”

“Do you feel that there is sufficient capacity among existing operators to meet the needs of the justice system?”

“Thank you. When is the next competition for prison contracts due?”

“I move to the transition from custody into the community, starting with one of the most challenging aspects of that: post-release deaths. In 2025, 77 people died within 14 days of being released from prison. That is 28% higher than the 60 deaths recorded the previous year and, as I understand it, is the highest since r…”

“I want to turn to residential alternatives to custody. Women’s residential centres offer an alternative to custody but also intensive support that can prevent offending and reoffending in the way you described earlier. What plans do the Government have to create more of those centres and ensure that existing ones like …”

“If that previous issue has not been resolved, how can those other processes continue smoothly?”

“Do you think there is a case for more publicly operated prisons? If we need more prisons, should they be publicly operated?”