Offender Management Bill

I also support my noble friend’s amendment and, in doing so, focus on one question about the booking of visits and the booking process. In the past I have found, in telephoning a number of prisons, that it is possible to raise someone after five minutes or so, but it has taken me up to half an hour to get through on the telephone. I understand that at that time the Government were seeking to make improvements in this area. I would be grateful to hear reassurance from the Minister that there is now a maximum expected time and a way of monitoring that, ensuring that booking visits is easy to do. What arrangements are there to ensure that children in public care also have the opportunity to visit their siblings or parent while in custody? Children in care feel very passionately about keeping in touch with the family. Many of them have spoken to me about their wish to keep in touch with their siblings as far as possible.