Speeches by Cox.

“Let’s stay with prisons but move on to demand for prison places. The annual statement on prison capacity for 2025 suggests that the reforms in the Sentencing Act 2026 will reduce the prison population by about 7,500 by February 2028. It also notes that those projections are uncertain and liable to change. Are you confi…”

“Dame Lynne Owens recently published her independent review into releases in error, in which she made 33 recommendations. The MOJ has said that it accepts her recommendations that are covered by this spending review period. Are you able to tell us which specific recommendations they are?”

“Could that also include any variance with Parole Board definitions?”

“Thank you. I am sure that the Committee will come back to that as time goes on. One way to reduce the prison population is to reduce the reoffending linked to drug-related crime, say. The Committee published a report on the drug crisis in our prisons, and you responded to it. We interviewed and heard from a lot of very…”

“It is very concerning, because we are sending potentially thousands of people to spend long amounts of time in unsafe buildings.”

“I am going to take us to PFIs now—another cheery subject. Many justice-related PFIs are expiring soon; at least six PFI prison contracts will end in the next two years. Can you talk us through how you will manage those competitions?”

“That is reassuring. It is such a powerful symbol when you have a release in error, as I am sure you will agree: it undermines public confidence in the system in an extremely visceral way.”

“I have a connected question about procurement. I remember being very surprised to hear, as a new MP last year, that the MOJ was handling more than 1,000 contracts of various types. Can you talk us through how the Government’s changes to procurement practice are impacting your procurement practice, in terms of getting b…”

“Black and mixed-race children are more likely to be remanded. Could you say something around the concentration of children from those groupings in your establishments?”

“Would those secure placements include privately run children’s homes, which can be problematic?”

“Would you say that children’s social care services needs to do better on this?”

“Would you be good enough to send us your outcome metrics, whatever they may be—reoffending rates, better ability to self-regulate? Whatever outcome metrics you use, please send us a copy.”

“I want to turn now to the question of girls in custody. Following the 2025 Hancock review, the MOJ accepted the recommendation that the placement of girls in YOIs should end. I would like to ask Mark what lessons were learned at Wetherby regarding the safety of girls and the unsuitability of YOIs for them.”

“Chair, may I ask one question?”

“The final one from me is around a new funding formula that the Government are introducing to reward local areas that reduce custodial remands. Do you expect that new incentive model to have an impact on your daily populations? If not, what would be the single most effective alternative to remand that you would like to …”

“A point of clarification. We have talked about neurodiversity and mental ill health; am I right to assume that given the nature of the children under your care some of them may be exhibiting signs of things like early onset schizophrenia and early onset personality disorder, so severe mental ill health. Just because th…”

“Would you say the majority have experienced harm of some kind at the hands of an adult, an intimate adult, or another child?”

“I am coming on to girls.”

“While we are on the more general setting-up of the discussion here, I would quite like to explore the extent to which the children in your care have themselves been victims of crime beforehand. The victim/offender overlap is very high, particularly among younger people. Could you give me a broad idea about that?”

“You think it is?”