#welsh-affairs-committee — Public Fediverse posts

HMP SWANSEA: Prison healthcare £4.8m short as frozen funding pot loses a third of its value, MPs warn

Healthcare for prisoners at HMP Swansea and two other Welsh jails is running £4.8m short, MPs have warned, after the funding pot meant to cover it was left frozen for more than a decade.

A committee of MPs found that the money the UK Government sends to Wales for prisoner healthcare has not risen since 2014 — and has quietly lost almost a third of its value since.

The finding comes in Jagged Justice, a report on prisons and rehabilitation in Wales published this month by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.

It is the same inquiry that branded the stalled Swansea women’s centre in Cockett an “unacceptable” delay.

The healthcare money is a single transfer covering three prisons — HMP Swansea, HMP Cardiff and HMP Usk & Prescoed.

It was set at £2.5m in 2014 and has stayed there ever since, even as costs and prisoner numbers have climbed.

Adjusted for inflation, that £2.5m is now worth just £1.9m in real terms, according to analysis by the House of Commons Scrutiny Unit.

To match what it could buy in 2014, the transfer would need to stand at around £3.4m today.

The gap is stark when set against what the care actually costs.

Healthcare at HMP Swansea alone cost just under £2.47m in 2024/25, figures from Swansea Bay University Health Board show.

Across all three prisons, the bill came to more than £7.25m — leaving a shortfall of £4.8m between the frozen transfer and the real cost.

The committee said prisoner populations in Wales have “higher, more complex and more concentrated” health needs than people in the community, making the squeeze harder to absorb.

It has called on the UK Government to revise the funding formula and uplift the transfer in line with inflation.

The report also lays bare wider strains at HMP Swansea.

In the 12 months before inspectors visited, around a third of prisoners leaving the jail were released either homeless or into unstable, temporary accommodation on their first night out.

It is a problem with real consequences. The committee heard that people released from prison into homelessness are twice as likely to reoffend.

Locally, one response has been the conversion of the former central police station on Alexandra Road into 68 rooms of supported accommodation, known as Llys Glas.

The building is owned by social housing landlord Codi, while Swansea Council runs the on-site support service — an arrangement designed to move people out of bed-and-breakfast placements and bring help together under one roof.

Among those it supports are people recently released from prison, with the council working alongside the probation service to place former inmates and link them to the help they need.

The committee’s findings on resettlement chime with concerns it raised about Welsh probation more widely, with the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot service rated “requires improvement” earlier this year.

Time out of cell at HMP Swansea also varied sharply, the report found — from around seven hours a day for those in full-time work down to as little as 45 minutes for new arrivals.

Inspectors have long warned that prisoners kept locked up cannot take part in the education, training and work that help cut reoffending.

The report flagged cross-border problems too, with Swansea Bay health bosses describing difficulties accessing the medical records of patients registered with English GPs when they arrive in custody.

The health board told MPs that things would improve “if there was one single system or there were more systems which communicated with each other.”

HMP Swansea is one of five prisons in Wales, four of them in the south, and one of three covered by the frozen healthcare transfer.

The committee’s wider verdict was that justice in Wales is held back by overcrowded prisons, staffing pressures and UK Government policy that does not always fit the country’s particular needs.

It is not the first time MPs on the committee have raised the alarm over a Welsh prison. In March, the same committee warned that plans to expand Bridgend’s HMP Parc could “risk lives” after 17 men died there in a single year.

For now, the committee wants ministers to start with the money — uprating a healthcare transfer that, on its own figures, has been falling behind for over a decade.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

COCKETT: Women’s centre forced through against 215 objections still not open four years on
MPs brand delays to the stalled Swansea Residential Women’s Centre “unacceptable.”

PRISON PLAN WARNING: HMP Parc expansion ‘risks lives’ after 17 deaths in one year, warn MPs
The same committee called for a halt to the expansion of Bridgend’s troubled prison.

Swansea and Neath Port Talbot probation service told it is failing to keep the public safe
Inspectors rated the local probation service “requires improvement.”

Former Swansea police station turned into 68-room homeless accommodation
Llys Glas offers supported accommodation, including for people leaving prison.

COCKETT: Women’s centre forced through against 215 objections still not open four years on — and ministers still won’t confirm if it ever will

A women’s centre that Cockett residents fought hard to stop — and lost — still has not opened four years after it was announced, and MPs now say ministers cannot even confirm whether it ever will.

The Swansea Residential Women’s Centre, planned for the Trehafod building in Cockett, was meant to open its doors in 2024.

Today it stands empty, its £10m funding pulled, while a cross-party committee of MPs brands the delays “unacceptable.”

The verdict comes in Jagged Justice, a report on prisons and rehabilitation in Wales published this month by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee.

It is a striking turn in a saga that pitched the Ministry of Justice against the very community now left with a stalled site on its doorstep.

When the plans first emerged in May 2022, they met fierce local resistance.

The proposal — to convert and extend the Trehafod building, in the grounds of the former Cefn Coed Hospital, into a 12-bed centre for around 50 local women a year — drew 215 letters of objection.

In September 2022, Swansea Council‘s planning committee refused the scheme, going against the advice of its own officers.

But the Ministry of Justice appealed, and in August 2023 a Welsh Government-appointed planning inspector overturned the refusal and granted consent.

The inspector attached a condition barring the site from ever being used as secure accommodation such as a detention centre or prison.

At the time, Cockett councillor Mike Durke said residents were “hugely disappointed” and felt their concerns had been ignored, though he noted they took some reassurance from that condition.

The centre was designed as an alternative to short prison sentences, allowing women to serve community sentences of up to 12 weeks close to their families.

Only women from the local area would have been admitted, and the site would not have been secure, meaning residents could come and go during the day.

It was meant to be the first of its kind in England and Wales — a pilot the previous UK government described as “ground-breaking.”

Then, in March 2025, the Ministry of Justice told the committee the funding had been “reallocated by the previous government during the protracted planning process for the site.”

In other words, the money was moved during the very planning fight the centre had to win.

The current government has not restored it. Ministers told the committee the project was “paused” while they awaited the findings of a Women’s Justice Board and the outcome of a spending review.

In December 2025, prisons minister Lord Timpson said he hoped to be “in a position where we can make a decision” on the Swansea centre in January 2026.

The committee says it has received no further update since.

Its conclusion is blunt. The centre “was due to open its doors two years ago,” the report says, but the funding was reallocated and MPs are “still waiting on the current UK Government to decide whether the project will be going ahead at all.”

“These delays are unacceptable,” the committee found, pointing also to a lack of clarity over how the centre would actually operate and who it would admit.

The MPs were also clear about what the centre must not become. Drawing on evidence from the charities Clinks and Women in Prison, the report warns it should be a genuine alternative to custody and “not just become a prison in all but name.”

The committee has called on the Ministry of Justice to confirm “as soon as possible” whether the site will open and, if so, when — and to set out its admissions criteria.

The wider context is stark. Wales has no women’s prison, so Welsh women given custodial sentences are held in England — 77% of them at HMP Eastwood Park or HMP Styal, often far from home and family.

The report notes that 78% of women given immediate custody in Wales in 2024 were sentenced to 12 months or less — short terms that MPs heard were “long enough to lose your home and children” but did little to address the causes of offending.

Supporters argue centres like the one earmarked for Cockett are a cheaper and more effective way of breaking that cycle than a short spell behind bars.

For now, though, the Trehafod building remains shut — a scheme the community tried to stop, the courts allowed, and the government has yet to deliver.

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PRISON PLAN WARNING: HMP Parc expansion ‘risks lives’ after 17 deaths in one year, warn MPs

The Welsh Affairs Committee is demanding a halt to the controversial expansion, which would see an extra 345 prisoners crammed into the already troubled jail. They fear the rush to create more prison places could derail fragile improvements being made at the facility.

This bombshell report comes after two years of intense scrutiny into HMP Parc, following a tragic year in 2024 when 17 men lost their lives – the highest number in any prison across England and Wales. Issues of violence, suicide, and rampant drug misuse have plagued the category B/C prison.

Inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons painted a grim picture in January 2025, finding the prison’s performance “not sufficiently good” or “poor” in every area, including safety and respect.

They highlighted high levels of violence, widespread illicit drug use (including deadly nitazenes), and a shocking rate of self-harm. Mental health and substance misuse services were found to be under-resourced, and staffing levels inadequate.

While some progress has been noted, particularly in tackling drug smuggling via drones and improved leadership, a follow-up inspection in January 2026 revealed “insufficient progress” against more than half of the original concerns. This included ongoing issues with violent incidents, self-harm, and access to vital healthcare and education.

Ruth Jones MP, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, did not mince words:

“Every preventable death is a tragedy and it is therefore vital that improving the safety and wellbeing of men serving sentences at the prison is at the forefront of any decisions made both by management and the government.”

She added that expanding the prison now would be an “unwanted distraction that could put progress at risk and, crucially, the safety of prisoners and staff.”

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, had previously stated in May 2025 that he was “very concerned” about the safety of men at HMP Parc.

Even with recent improvements, he warned that without enough staff and a proper daily routine, “the prison will continue to struggle to achieve the necessary improvements in outcomes for prisoners.”

The UK Government’s 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy aims to create an extra 14,000 prison places, with 345 of those earmarked for HMP Parc. Bridgend County Borough Council formally approved the expansion plans in November 2025, which also include an increase of around 160 staff.

However, the committee’s report concludes that given the scale of the failings exposed in 2024, the government must reconsider whether the expansion can be achieved without putting lives at risk.

“Prisoners deserve safe environments that are conducive to rehabilitation, not violent settings that pose a risk to their physical and mental health.”

This latest warning casts a dark shadow over the future of HMP Parc, raising serious questions about the rush to expand capacity at the expense of inmate and staff safety. The committee’s recommendation to pause the expansion is a stark reminder that some improvements cannot be rushed.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Plans revealed for expansion of Bridgend’s Parc Prison
Initial details on the controversial 345-inmate expansion that MPs now want to see paused.

Bridgend Council to take on care services at HMP Parc Prison
Local authority steps in to manage social care as safety concerns at the jail continue to mount.

WRU bosses grilled by MPs as Ospreys future barely addressed in stop‑start committee hearing

The session, which was suspended twice for parliamentary votes, spent more than an hour on grassroots issues before the Ospreys were even mentioned — despite the WRU confirming earlier this week that the region’s owners, Y11, are their preferred bidders to take over Cardiff Rugby. Under WRU rules, no organisation can own two professional sides, leaving the Ospreys’ long‑term position hanging over the hearing.

When the question finally came, Tierney said the WRU was “trying to reach consent” with stakeholders rather than launching a formal tender process. She said the union hoped to avoid a full tender, but admitted that if consent could not be reached, a tender would follow and could take up to six months.

Abi Tierney, WRU chief executive, said she understood the strength of feeling in Swansea. “I hear passion from all the fans. They’re all important and have history. Change is difficult. It’s not going to be easy.”

Pressed on the impact on communities that lose a professional side, Tierney said she “absolutely gets how important rugby is in Swansea”, adding that the WRU would look to invest in Swansea RFC, the women’s game and other pathways if the Ospreys were removed from the professional tier. She said she did not expect supporters to switch allegiances.

The hearing also touched on the WRU’s financial restructuring, with Collier‑Keywood insisting the governing body is now on a “much stronger economic rock” after refinancing debt with backing from Goldman Sachs and HSBC. He said the WRU is working with Y11 on a “different model” for the Ospreys, but offered no detail on what that might involve.

Richard Collier‑Keywood, WRU chair, said Y11 “still have a lot of local passion for Swansea”, adding that one of the group’s leaders “comes from Swansea”. He reiterated his belief that three professional teams is the “affordable way forward”, claiming Welsh rugby “was broken” and needed structural change.

Tierney defended the WRU’s approach to data‑led decision‑making and rejected suggestions that the union is disconnected from grassroots clubs. She said she visits one or two clubs a week and insisted the WRU has increased community funding by £250,000.

The committee also heard that the WRU had considered models with two or three professional teams, with Collier‑Keywood saying the union had to balance playing time, competitiveness and cost. He said the WRU is rebuilding the national academy system and creating new mechanisms to identify Welsh talent.

Despite the intense public focus on the Ospreys, the hearing produced no new information on the region’s future. Tierney said the WRU is still in the “consent” phase of discussions and that no formal tender has begun. She said the union would “mitigate the changes” in any area that loses a professional side.

The only direct acknowledgement of the uncertainty came late in the session, when Tierney said she understood the passion of Ospreys supporters and the significance of rugby in Swansea. But with no timeline, no detail and no assurances, the region’s supporters were left with the same unanswered questions they had before the hearing began.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Ospreys crisis deepens as MPs summon WRU chiefs and players accuse owners of ‘cowardly’ leadership
MPs demand answers as players accuse Y11 of failing to communicate during growing uncertainty.

Swansea Council leader says legal options being examined as uncertainty over Ospreys intensifies
Swansea Council confirms legal advice is being sought as fears grow over the region’s future.

Future of Ospreys under threat as club owner believed to be WRU’s preferred bidder for Cardiff
Reports suggest Y11 have been granted exclusivity to pursue a Cardiff takeover, raising major questions for the Ospreys.

Ospreys coach says CEO meeting offered ‘little clarity’ with players left ‘frustrated, confused and fearful’
Head coach Mark Jones says players were blindsided by speculation over Y11’s Cardiff Rugby talks.

Ospreys crisis deepens as MPs summon WRU chiefs and players accuse owners of “cowardly leadership

The Welsh Affairs Committee announced it will question WRU Chief Executive Abi Tierney and Chair Richard Collier‑Keywood in Parliament tomorrow, examining the proposal to cut the number of professional teams from four to three. Supporters’ groups from all four regions — including the Ospreys Supporters Club — will give evidence in a second panel.

It comes after our earlier reporting that Ospreys owners Y11 are believed to be the WRU’s preferred bidder for Cardiff Rugby, raising fears that the Ospreys could be wound up or relocated. Swansea Council has already confirmed it is examining legal options.

Current Ospreys players: “We have been left in the dark”

Ospreys hooker Sam Parry, speaking on behalf of the current squad, said players had received “no information” from either the WRU or Y11.

“We struggle to believe the most successful Welsh team to exist with the biggest history is on the brink of non‑existence,” he said.

Parry said the squad would continue to play for supporters:

“We will continue to play for the fans and for the people who have stood by the Ospreys over the years.”

Former Ospreys flanker Sam Cross: “No one has the courage to be honest”

Former Ospreys and Wales forward Sam Cross said players and staff were once again learning about their futures through media leaks rather than their employers.

“Knowing what it’s like to find out about your future via Wales Online, while being kept in the dark by the suits running the club,” he said, “once again, no one has the courage to stand up and be honest about what’s really going on.”

Cross accused Y11 of “cowardly leadership from day one”, adding:

“The real problem with Welsh rugby is people clinging to jobs, hiding in the shadows, and turning a blind eye just to stay on the gravy train.”

Supporters: “Not one ounce of empathy”

The Ospreys Supporters Club said the situation was “hugely concerning” and accused the WRU of showing “not one ounce of empathy for those affected.”

They criticised the lack of transparency from both the WRU and Y11 over the preferred bidder process.

“At this time we call on Y11 to address these concerns directly and without delay,” they said. “After a prolonged period of uncertainty culminating in this leaked news, the least our supporters deserve is a full explanation.”

Jonathan Davies CBE: “Wales need to keep four regions”

Wales legend Jonathan Davies CBE warned that cutting a region would damage the pathway for young players.

“Wales need to keep four regions whatever happens to bring the younger players through,” he said. “If we don’t get this right we could well end up in tier 2 for a long time.”

Davies said the Swansea Bay area — from Bridgend to Maesteg, Aberavon, Neath and Swansea — must not be left without a professional side.

“Can’t have no regional rugby in an area which has produced so many great players,” he said. “We need to embrace everyone.”

Carolyn Harris MP: “Clarity is essential”

Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris said her support for the Ospreys’ proposed move to St Helen’s “has not changed”, but urged the WRU and Y11 to end the uncertainty.

“At a time of growing uncertainty about the future of regional rugby, clarity is essential,” she said. “Supporters, players and communities deserve reassurance.”

She warned that prolonged uncertainty “undermines confidence in the game and risks pushing talent away from Wales.”

MPs to grill WRU chiefs as crisis reaches Westminster

The Welsh Affairs Committee says it will press the WRU’s leadership on every aspect of the proposed restructuring when they appear before MPs. The session will examine how cutting a professional team would affect the sport across Wales, whether the WRU’s plans genuinely support its long‑term objectives, and what the loss of a region would mean for supporters and communities who rely on elite rugby as part of their identity.

MPs are also expected to probe how changes at the top of the game could ripple down into community and grassroots rugby, including the WRU’s efforts to grow participation among women and girls. After questioning WRU Chief Executive Abi Tierney and Chair Richard Collier‑Keywood, the Committee will turn to supporters’ groups from Cardiff Rugby, Dragons RFC, Ospreys and Scarlets to hear directly how the proposals might reshape the regional system they represent.

The WRU first set out its restructuring plans in October 2025, including directly contracting players and coaches and creating a national academy to centralise the development of young talent. The governing body insists the reforms are designed to stabilise finances and improve performance, but the backlash now stretching from players to Parliament shows how fiercely contested the future of Welsh rugby has become.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Swansea Council leader says legal options being examined as uncertainty over Ospreys intensifies
The council confirms it is exploring legal avenues as fears grow over the region’s future.

Future of Ospreys under threat as club owner believed to be WRU’s preferred bidder for Cardiff
Early reports linking Y11 to a Cardiff takeover spark alarm across the region.

Ospreys players and supporters react to WRU restructure plans
Reaction from fans and players as proposals to cut a region trigger widespread concern.

WRU chief executive faces questions over future of Welsh regions
MPs challenge the WRU on restructuring, finances and the impact on communities.

“HM Treasury has slammed the door on the industry and thrown away the key” farming union tells Welsh Affairs Committee

On Wednesday this week (4 June), the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) presented evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee on its inquiry into the challenges and opportunities of farming in Wales in 2025.

The FUW was represented by Gareth Parry, a longstanding FUW staff member, and the Union’s Head of Policy since 2024.

As part of the session, Mr Parry was questioned by MPs on a number of the ongoing challenges facing Welsh agriculture; including the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, the changes to agricultural and business property relief, and how changes to the UK Government’s funding for Welsh agriculture will impact the sustainability of the sector.

Speaking during the evidence session, Gareth Parry, FUW Head of Policy said:

“Brexit has presented us with a situation whereby UK Governments are moving away from the core policy principles of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, such as the supply of affordable food and the provision of fair incomes for farmers, and towards measures primarily designed to tackle the nature and climate crises.

“These crises are often being referred to as justification for this fundamental shift in agricultural policy and yet there remains no legislative mechanism to determine if – or when – the UK faces a food crisis. If it’s measured by the availability of food on supermarket shelves, it’ll be too late.”

The UK’s departure from the EU has also led to the loss of the intermediate-term stability provided by the EU’s seven year Multiannual Financial Framework. The lack of such replacement financial frameworks has allowed the UK Government to apply the Barnett Formula to any future adjustments to Welsh agricultural funding, meaning that Wales will receive subsequent uplifts based on a historical share of the UK population as opposed to rural needs.

“We have been absolutely clear since the referendum: if Governments provide economic sustainability to farming businesses, the cultural, societal and environmental contributions they make will naturally continue.

“However, what we are seeing is a clear appetite from the previous and current UK Governments to sign trade agreements rather than underpinning domestic food production through appropriately designed policies.”

Members of the Committee heard how the previous and current UK Governments have claimed to have protected the UK’s high food standards within their trade agreements. Yet, there has been little mention of the differences between food safety and food production standards.

“By opening the door to agricultural products from other countries where food is produced at a cheaper cost due to differences in production methods and regulatory requirements, is the UK Government undermining our domestic food producers? Yes, 100%.

“Crucially, after operating under favourable EU CAP principles for decades, the UK Government cannot ultimately pull the rug from beneath us by reforming agricultural policies and replacing domestic food production with imports, without seriously considering the economic viability of farming businesses.

“Both the UK and Welsh Governments must therefore empower the agricultural sector as a world leader in sustainable food production first and foremost, but to do so, both Governments must work collaboratively.”

Several questions during the session focused on the proposed inheritance tax reforms, with Mr Parry relaying the latest figures from Family Business UK and CBI Economics on the potential impacts for the UK economy.

“As highlighted earlier this week, the latest figures demonstrate the HM Treasury’s failure to consider the wider economic and social impacts of the proposed changes.

“It has been clear since the Budget announcement that HM Treasury Officials have had no intention of even acknowledging our concerns. They have slammed the door on the industry and thrown away the key.

“With the latest figures showing catastrophic impacts for UK family businesses and a fiscal loss of £1.9 billion for the Treasury over the next five years; with UK Government and HM Treasury Officials claiming that the policy reforms are fair, the question has to be asked; fair for who?

“We are not calling for the policy to be scrapped. Rather, we seek an opportunity to design a policy with the HM Treasury that works for genuine family businesses and closes the loopholes that currently exist.”

#FarmersUnionOfWales #Farming #FUW #UKGovernment #WelshAffairsCommittee