Following news that Bullwood Hall is due to close, Mark Francois immediately called for an urgent meeting with the Prisons Minister in order to discuss related issues, including timings for the closure of the prison, as well as the welfare of the 200 staff (including the 140 Prison Officers) who currently work at Bullwood.
Mr Francois stressed in the meeting that the welfare of the Prisons Officers, who have given good service at Bullwood, was particularly important. As such, Mark took the chance to discuss the opportunity for their redeployment to other prisons, for instance in London, and where this is not possible Mark asked a number of questions about the redundancy packages which would be on offer.
Commenting on the meeting Mark Francois said:
“I am very grateful to the Prisons Minister for agreeing to meet with me at such short notice in order to discuss this very important local issue. The closure of Bullwood Hall, which is now scheduled for the end of March, will have important consequences - not least for the staff at the prison - and the sooner we can determine their future the better. It was a constructive meeting, on which I have subsequently debriefed the Prison Officers Association, and the Minister has agreed to stay in touch regarding this issue as well.