Member

I am therefore extremely grateful to our Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Timpson, for taking the time to discuss the issues with me, and for explaining the complexities and what he is trying to achieve in this area. We both come from a retail background, my experience being at Tesco and his at Timpson, both of which have a good record of training and employing ex-offenders. The critical factor is leadership. The best stores are run by the best store managers and the best prisons by the best governors. Programmes to improve top management and to create a waiting list of officers with talent for future roles, which are part of his approach to change, are very important.