Prison Service: Corruption

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Prison Service Management Board has taken to prevent prison staff corruption; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
A programme of work is currently being constructed to strengthen the Prison Service's approach to tackling staff corruption.

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the recommendations of the joint study by HM Prison Service and the Metropolitan Police Service on preventing corruption in the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
There are no plans to publish the recommendations from this report but they form part of the work being taken forward to strengthen the Prison Service's approach to tackling staff corruption.

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible within HM Prison Service for anti-corruption policy development and practice; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
The Professional Standards Unit is responsible for anti-corruption policy, and governors and area managers, via their area and local professional standards managers, are responsible for its application.

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what anti-corruption training is provided to employees of HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
A training package focusing on the use of intelligence-gathering techniques is offered to all area professional standards managers, local professional standards managers and their deputies.

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to encourage joint working between police and HM  Prison Service to prevent corruption within prison establishments; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
At organisational level regular tasking meetings are held in establishments to discuss intelligence received about staff corruption. These meetings may involve the prison's police liaison officer. At a strategic level, the police continue to offer the Prison Service advice on how to tackle staff corruption.

Mr. Bellingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms exist to ensure that resources available to HM Prison Service to address problems of staff corruption are allocated efficiently; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Sutcliffe
This will be considered as part of the programme to strengthen the Prison Service's professional standards approach.