Speeches by Babarinde.

“I think it was the Prison Governors Association that said shortly after the first tranche of releases that within a year we were going to be back to square one. Are you able to share with us when you would expect prisons to reach capacity again?”

“So do you have a ballpark? You mentioned the phrase “decent amount of time”. What is that?”

“And next autumn, all other things being equal, is the time you expect this reprieve to last until, before prisons reach capacity?”

“Thank you so much, Chair. Thanks for bearing with us. I would like to ask a bit more about the risk assessment process that you went through to ascertain which offenders to release early, and which not. Can you tell us about how extensive that was, what tests you undertook and so on?”

“To what extent have the Government explored what Mr Gribbin mentioned—the prospect of changing primary legislation to, I guess, close this loophole for the future?”

“What are the timelines on that? Let us take Unlocked as an example. Without being able to understand whether something may be coming down the line, the likes of Unlocked may be forced to close altogether. What certainty can you provide, not just to Unlocked but to any other bidder that might want to enter the process, …”

“I will ask one final question before wrapping up, and that is on the victim contact scheme. Ms Rees, you spoke about that in answering one of the questions I just asked. From speaking with organisations like Refuge, it is clear that there are a number of victims and survivors who would have expected to be contacted and…”

“I am pleased you are looking at that. I grew up in a home where domestic violence was pretty rife, so it is particularly close to my heart. I am pleased you are serious about looking to curb some of these challenges, should there be another early release come the autumn, or beyond.”

“I would like to ask a bit about prison capacity. Over the past 14 years we have seen a net change of 500 places added to capacity. As the prison population is projected to increase from 94,600 to 114,800 by March 2028, how many additional prison places do you think need to be built in order to satisfy that projection?”

“How many of the Victorian prisons do you think are beyond maintenance? We heard lots about rat infestations and things like that that are almost impossible, or have proven impossible so far, to root out. We have seen and heard not dissimilar stories from other prisons. I appreciate there might be some solid leadership …”

“Facilities such as leisure centres and swimming pools—like the Sovereign Centre in Eastbourne where I learned to swim—are critical in supporting people’s mental health locally. Will the Minister support me in putting pressure on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to expand the criteria of the tow…”

“A few hours ago, I marched with Eastbourne residents such as Jodie Atherton, and Eastbourne businesses such as DB Domestics and the Rosy Lee café in Seaside, against Conservative-run East Sussex county council’s car-crash bus service improvement plan, after the council failed to adequately consult residents or properly…”

“Eastbourne veteran Pauline was awarded military compensation for injuries that she sustained in the service of our country, but she said that that has caused her pension credit entitlement to plummet from £70 to just £10.42 a week. Will the Minister meet me to discuss her case and ensure that no veteran is penalised fo…”

“The returning tide of populism that we have seen today is a sobering reminder of what can happen when people feel that the system has not been delivering for them. This reality makes fiscal events, such as a Budget delivered by a new Government, so critical. A Budget is more than just an annual accounting practice; it …”

“I welcome the new shadow Justice Secretary to his place. As he has campaigned to withdraw from the European convention on human rights, I am sure we can rely on him to champion international law for all of us across the world. I want to ask about domestic abuse. For too long, domestic abusers have been able to exploit …”

“An estimated 80,000 disabled young people are unable to benefit from their child trust fund savings, because their families are being thwarted by a complex legal process before they can access them. The previous Government let these families down by tolerating that, so this Government need to act. Will the Minister com…”

“Eastbourne, as the sunniest town in the UK, is on a mission to be a solar energy superpower. At the heart of that is East Sussex college’s green training hub, which is supporting students, young and mature, to move into that sector. Will the Minister join me in celebrating the hub’s second birthday, and will she come d…”

“Some 29% of jobs in Eastbourne, the sunniest town in the UK, are connected to the hospitality sector, but many businesses in that sector have expressed concerns about yesterday’s Budget, which UK Hospitality has described as the “latest blow for hospitality”. Will the Minister meet me and local hospitality businesses t…”

“The last Government left Eastbourne borough council in a position in which it spends 49p in every pound it collects in council tax on temporary accommodation. We need a solution, because that is not sustainable for councils or families. Will the Chancellor commit to supporting councils with the cost of temporary accomm…”

“It is an honour to pay tribute to our armed forces community this evening, and it is particularly special to be able to pay tribute to my late great-grandfather, Flight Lieutenant Thomas Gittins. He was a tool salesman who joined the RAF Reserves in the hopes of becoming a pilot. He was pretty small in stature, so he w…”