§ Mr. WillettsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in appointing a prisons ombudsman.
§ Mr. HowardI am pleased to announce that I am appointing Sir Peter Woodhead KCB as the prisons ombudsman. Sir Peter plans to take up the post in May, and our intention is that his new office will be established and will start to receive and investigate prisoners' complaints in the autumn. I welcome this as a significant step in providing a further safeguard for the fair and just treatment of prisoners.