Speeches by Munt.

“Thank you. Lastly, there is quite alarming sickness absence. Again, from my experience—not in the Prison Service but in other areas of life—sickness absence is something that one needs to watch like a hawk because it is an indicator of all sorts of other things. Very often, it is a precursor to departure. What are you …”

“I am not sure which one of you I asked, but there was certainly a commitment from the current Government that new land should be found for new prisons. How is that going?”

“I have no doubt. I would not be asking you about it if it was going super smoothly. If I were a retired prison officer, or if I had resigned from being a prison officer at some point, and I were coming back, would I be put through the Enable programme, or would you think, “She knows something about it—she can go in”?”

“Can I ask you to write to the Chair of the Committee to let me know how many retired prison officers, or those who have resigned, have come back into the service over each of the last three years?”

“You’re still searching? So you have not got any land yet.”

“I am not asking for a full evaluation. I am asking for something on the back of a fag packet—not that we have fag packets any more.”

“I referred to the fact that the Prison Service is pretty high risk. The data we have shows that a third of band 3 to 5 prison officers have less than three years’ experience, which I would say—I do not know—exposes one to greater risk. I think that presents quite a challenging environment. It looks as though the number…”

“Did somebody not think about this? It is not fit for purpose now. If we use old prisons as a measure, and they are closed down because they are not fit for purpose, why did somebody not think, “This is going to cost £x squillion”?”

“The annual statement said that, last September, staffing levels stood at 95% of the national target. Is that still accurate? This is focusing on band 3 to 5 prison officers again.”

“James, my questions relate to prisons. When you came before us last time, you were the chief operating officer of the MOJ. Now you are the chief executive of HMPPS. Amy Rees and Phil Copple, both of whom had leadership roles, have moved away from the MOJ. Do you feel that your team has the necessary skills and experien…”

“Okay, thank you. It does not sound as though getting new land for building prisons is going to be very easy in future if you are going to have to have a punch-up with the Treasury.”

“I understand that—”

“I am Tessa Munt. I am the Member of Parliament for Wells and Mendip Hills. Everything is as per the register, but I point out that I am a director and the vice-chair of WhistleblowersUK, which is a not-for-profit organisation. I am also the vice-chair of the penal affairs all-party parliamentary group.”

“If you have a gap of 7% or 8%, how are you going to fill that gap without using inexperienced staff? This is a compounding problem. In a moment, I will ask you about sickness absence, which will rise as people are under greater pressure.”

“A five-year break clause. Let’s put the radon to one side and look at what the cost would be of turning Dartmoor into a prison of today. I might invite you to write to the Chair, because I would like a ballpark figure. That probably comes back to you scribbling on the back of an envelope—”

“Every shift.”

“But I would like to know that figure. I invite you all to write to the Chair with that ballpark figure, please.”

“Thank you.”

“The Prime Minister may be aware that in December, for the first time in over three decades, Defence Ministers met the families of those killed in the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre. The Ministry of Defence promised “ongoing dialogue” with them. Is he also aware that, despite receiving pages of new eviden…”

“The residents of Cheddar suffer the weekend misery of thoughtless, antisocial drivers who come from across the country to meet in Cheddar Gorge. Not all the drivers are careless, but I have been contacted by well over 100 residents, many of whom fear for their lives as a result of often dangerous driving when drivers l…”