To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007, Official Report, column 951W, on the Prison Service: Professional Standards Unit, who has the responsibility for the (a) monitoring and (b) checking of formal investigations within HM Prison Service; what the role of the Professional Standards Unit is in this regard; and if he will make a statement. (151042)

The Investigation Support Section of the Professional Standards Unit registers, tracks the progress of and logs all formal investigations. The Commissioning Authority, not the Professional Standards Unit, is responsible for checking the quality of the report and ensuring that terms of reference have been met.