MPs are to reopen an inquiry into Welsh prisons following the “very concerning” deaths of 13 inmates at HMP Parc Bridgend this year and arrests of four staff members on suspicion of assault and misconduct last month.

New chairwoman of the reformed Welsh Affairs Commitee, Ruth Jones MP, said it vowed to prioritise the investigation.

The committee has been told that staff had been taking illegal substances into the prison, with one prisoner claiming that “drugs are everywhere, from cannabis to heroin.”

The Labour MP for Newport West and Islwyn said: “We were part way through quite a few important inquiries and of course they’ve all fallen because of the general election.

“All being well, we’ll be able to pick them up again.

“So the biggest one for me is prisons across Wales, especially HMP Parc, that’s a big concern I’m sure for all the new members.

“And things like the steel industry is obviously ongoing with Tata, and we have some dates in the diary, the pre-scrutiny of the S4C chair.”