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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:04 pm on 22 March 2017.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 3:04, 22 March 2017

Diolch, Lywydd. As somebody who, like me, has visited prisons over the years, will you confirm that although we all seek that Welsh prisoners should be located as close to home as possible, the categorisation of prisoners sometimes makes that impossible? Secondly, as with HMP Berwyn, can you confirm whether the new proposed prison in Port Talbot will be made up of separate smaller units so that people in the community aren’t living in a superprison environment, but in a smaller, more house or large college environment? In terms of rehabilitation, will you confirm that you’ve sought or have obtained assurances that the rehabilitation programmes guiding HMP Berwyn will be developed in Port Talbot and how your experience of developing devolved, alongside non-devolved, services, in Berwyn will advise your way forward here? Will you confirm that, actually, there will be local jobs? I know, recently, I met the husband of one of my daughter’s friends who has just completed his training to work in at HMP Berwyn, who lives in the Wrexham area. And, finally, how will you build the Prison Advice and Care Trust and Sova’s Visiting Mum project for mothers in prison into Families First programmes in Wales?