Chamber and committees

Does he acknowledge that it is an absolutely extraordinary situation that we are in?

I am not sure about the negativity coming from—

Will the member take an intervention?

Is international good practice being looked at? I am assuming that it has been. How do other countries deal with problems such as this? We have an extremely high rate, but other countries must be struggling with that, too.

Can the member say whether he has any regard at all for the health and safety of prisoners and staff, and for the pressure that prison staff are under?

I understand that. Thank you.

It is expected that 70 women out of the 218 who are currently sentenced will be released. Does that mean that the remainder of the women are serving sentences of four years or more, or was that choice made under different criteria?

That is the point that I was getting at.

I confirm my support for the SSI. It is abundantly clear that it is a necessary short-term measure. The members of this committee are not experts on operational matters, but I have faith in the Government and am confident that the Prison Service and its partners are dealing with this in a really professional manner and using all their skills. We can pick up on certain details, but I am perfectly confident that this has to happen and that it is being dealt with professionally. I appreciate the hard work that has gone into it.

Pauline McNeill said that we are where we are. That is absolutely right, so this has to happen, but I think that it will be a catalyst for future change. The judiciary must recognise the responsibility to bring about change through community sentencing.

There are currently 353 women in the system, and 134 of them are on remand. For the record, does the emergency release system affect remand prisoners?

Good morning. Yes—I will start with Professor Armstrong, as I know that she has to leave.

My long-standing concern is about the number of women in prison and the number of prisoners who are remanded. At the beginning of the meeting, you stated your concerns about that. There is a long-standing issue. Why do you think, in theory, that that is the case? Is it because there is not enough support? Why are the courts remanding and locking up so many women?