Reopening prisons probe is top priority for Welsh committee, chairwoman says

Reopening an inquiry into Welsh prisons following a series of deaths at HMP Parc is a priority for a reformed Commons committee, according to its new chairwoman.

Four members of staff at Parc prison were arrested on suspicion of assault and misconduct last month. South Wales Police have not said what the incidents relate to but 13 inmates are known to have died at the prison this year.

Labour MP Ruth Jones, chairwoman of Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee, described the ongoing issues at the prison in Bridgend as “very concerning” and pledged to reopen an inquiry into Welsh prisons.

The committee has previously been told that staff at HMP Parc had been taking illegal substances into the prison, with one prisoner claiming that “drugs are everywhere, from cannabis to heroin”.

Concern

Ms Jones told the PA news agency: “We were part way through quite a few important inquiries and of course they’ve all fallen because of the general election. All being well, we’ll be able to pick them up again.

“So the biggest one for me is prisons across Wales, especially HMP Parc, that’s a big concern I’m sure for all the new members.

“And things like the steel industry is obviously ongoing with Tata, and we have some dates in the diary, the pre-scrutiny of the S4C chair.”

The MP for Newport West and Islwyn added: “The prison inquiry itself was ongoing and we had planned – we had a date in the diary – to go and see (HMP) Berwyn in North Wales – that all fell because the election was called so suddenly.

“So we would like to pick it up again because obviously we’re comparing the four prisons but in particular I believe there have been another two deaths in HMP Parc which is very concerning.”

Hope

Currently the chairwoman elect until the committee is formed, Ms Jones said she wants to “harness” any ideas brought forward by new MPs.

She said: “We will hopefully have quite a few brand new MPs on the committee and they will come with their own ideas and that will be great, and I want to harness those. But we want to make sure we don’t lose anything that we’ve been working on.”

Ms Jones also said her Private Member’s Bill will focus on an “animal welfare issue of some kind” after she secured 16th place in the ballot last month.

She said: “Given I used to be in the shadow Defra team, what I want to do is an animal welfare issue of some kind.

“So we’re working on honing down the wording and making sure that we get the title.”

Commitment

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader and Justice spokesperson, Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “I welcome the new chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee’s commitment to reopening the inquiry into prisons in Wales.

“Wales has a higher incarceration rate than any other part of the UK and among the highest in the whole of Europe. The Labour UK Government’s early release scheme sought to solve the problem of overcrowding, but its chaotic implementation has put victims in danger.

“Plaid Cymru is the largest opposition party when it comes to Welsh seats at Westminster. We look forward to playing our full part in holding the Labour Government to account through the Welsh Affairs Committee.

We will be ensuring that the evidence-based arguments for devolving justice to Wales are heard loud and clear.”