3. Urgent Question: The Decision to Build a Prison in Port Talbot

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:45 pm on 22 March 2017.

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Photo of Bethan Sayed Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru 2:45, 22 March 2017

My first reaction is to say that we do not wish to turn Wales into a vast prison. In principle, we do not support superjail expansion. We are not the USA. Do you not agree with me that we need facilities that suit the needs of Welsh prisoners and that we need to devolve justice to Wales and ensure that we do not fall into the trap of building new prisons without discussing prison reform and ways of stopping people offending in the first instance? Do you agree with me that it is unwise to welcome jobs for the sake of welcoming jobs, without seeing all of the detail? So far, we don’t know what this means for the construction sector itself, and we don’t know whether these will be long-term jobs in the public or the private sector. For example, are these going to be zero-hours contracts, short-term contracts, or are they going to be long-term jobs for the community?