Reopening an inquiry into Welsh prisons following a series of deaths at HMP Parc is a priority for a reformed Commons committee, according to its new chairwoman.
Four members of staff at Parc prison were arrested on suspicion of assault and misconduct last month. South Wales Police have not said what the incidents relate to but 13 inmates are known to have died at the prison this year.
Labour MP Ruth Jones, chairwoman of Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee, described the ongoing issues at the prison in Bridgend as “very concerning” and pledged to reopen an inquiry into Welsh prisons.
The committee has previously been told that staff at HMP Parc had been taking illegal substances into the prison, with one prisoner claiming that “drugs are everywhere, from cannabis to heroin”.
“So the biggest one for me is prisons across Wales, especially HMP Parc, that’s a big concern I’m sure for all the new members.
“And things like the steel industry is obviously ongoing with Tata, and we have some dates in the diary, the pre-scrutiny of the S4C chair.”
The MP for Newport West and Islwyn added: “The prison inquiry itself was ongoing and we had planned – we had a date in the diary – to go and see (HMP) Berwyn in North Wales – that all fell because the election was called so suddenly.
“So we would like to pick it up again because obviously we’re comparing the four prisons but in particular I believe there have been another two deaths in HMP Parc which is very concerning.”
Currently the chairwoman elect until the committee is formed, Ms Jones said she wants to “harness” any ideas brought forward by new MPs.
She said: “We will hopefully have quite a few brand new MPs on the committee and they will come with their own ideas and that will be great, and I want to harness those. But we want to make sure we don’t lose anything that we’ve been working on.”
Ms Jones also said her Private Member’s Bill will focus on an “animal welfare issue of some kind” after she secured 16th place in the ballot last month.
She said: “Given I used to be in the shadow Defra team, what I want to do is an animal welfare issue of some kind.
“So we’re working on honing down the wording and making sure that we get the title.”
An HMP Parc spokesperson said: “Earlier this year Parc experienced a number of tragic deaths and our thoughts remain with the loved ones of those who died. Since then we have done a huge amount of work to make positive changes in the prison.
“We would welcome the opportunity to show Ruth Jones MP and other stakeholders the good work our staff are doing here and will be contacting her office to extend that invitation.”
