Lord Timpson questioned amid extreme pressures across prisons and probation
The new Justice Committee will question Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending at the Ministry of Justice during its first public evidence session of the new Parliament.
Meeting details
Purpose of the session
It marks the first in a series of planned high-profile hearings with key figures, including the Lady Chief Justice, Director of Public Prosecutions and the Lord Chancellor to examine issues across the whole justice system.
During the session on 19 November, MPs on the cross-party committee, chaired by Labour MP Andy Slaughter, will question the Minister on his priorities, the workings of the Government’s early release scheme (SDS40), the Probation Service and public safety, plus the prison building programme and overcrowding, including recent urgent notifications.
MPs are also expected to raise organised crime and drugs in prisons, the remand population, IPP sentences (Sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection), and the female estate. The Chief Executive of HM Prison and Probation Service and the Director General Policy Group at the Ministry of Justice will complete the witness panel.
The Committee has this week undertaken visits to HMP Brixton and Snaresbrook Crown Court to witness firsthand the problems affecting the prisons and courts systems and speak to those who are grappling with these issues on a daily basis.