Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children – in the Senedd at 2:30 pm on 28 June 2017.
Diolch. It’s been three months since the announcement of the 1,600-capacity men’s prison in Port Talbot. And I just wanted to probe further on your response from last time I raised this. I didn’t believe that you were clear and forthright enough when you made a statement to the Assembly on 22 March regarding the level of engagement that you had had with the Ministry of Justice. The prisons Minister has confirmed, in a letter dated 31 May to me, that your department proactively helped the MOJ to identify sites, and that’s a little bit more than ‘had discussions’, which was all that you said at the time. On 22 March, you also said, and I quote,
‘there are many questions that remain unanswered by the MOJ.’
Since it has been confirmed by the prisons Minister that you were engaged in the process before the news became public, why don’t you have more answers regarding the MOJ’s intentions?