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Vulnerable Prisoner Units
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of vulnerable prisoner units that exist in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will list these establishments. [1704]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 27 November 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about vulnerable prisoner units in prisons in England and Wales.
27 Nov 1995 : Column: 463
Ms Janet Anderson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average annual cost per prison place. [1697]
Miss Widdecombe:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Ms Janet Anderson, dated 27 November 1995:
Ms Janet Anderson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average annual change in the number of police officers in England and Wales between (a) 1974 and 1979, (b) 1980 and 1990 and (c) 1991 and 1995. [1678]
Mr. Maclean:
The average annual increase in police strength was as follows:
Vulnerable prisoner units, as distinct from segregated accommodation requiring controls under Prison Rule 43 or Young Offender Institution Rule 46, exist in 37 establishments as shown in the list annexed to this letter.
Annexe
Acklington Prison
Albany Prison
Blakenhurst Prison
Brinsford Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre
Cardiff Prison
Castington Young Offender Institution
Channings Wood Prison
Dartmoor Prison
Doncaster Prison
Dorchester Prison
Durham Prison
Elmley Prison
Frankland Prison
Full Sutton Prison
Glen Parva Young Offender Institution and Remand Centre
High Down Prison
Holme House Prison
Lewes Prison
Lincoln Prison
Littlehey Prison
Liverpool Prison
Low Newton Remand Centre
Maidstone Prison
Manchester Prison
Risley Prison
Rochester Prison
Shepton Mallet Prison
Stafford Prison
Styal Prison and Young Offender Institution
1 Usk Prison
Wandsworth Prison
Wayland Prison
1 Whatton Prison
Whitemoor Prison
Wolds Prison
Woodhill Prison
1 Wymott Prison
1 Establishments holding only vulnerable prisoners.
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average annual cost of a prison place.
In 1993-94, the last year for which information has been published, the net operating cost per place per year was £22,712.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| (i) 1974 to 1979 | +2,245 (4)officers |
| (ii) 1980 to 1990 | +1,378 officers |
| (iii) 1991 to 1995 (March) | +31 (5)officers |
(4) This includes an increase in actual police strength of 1,816 between May 1979 and December 1979.
(5) This figure obscures an average annual increase of 424 constables in this period, which has been achieved by a significant delayering of the police service's management structure.
Metropolitan Police
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of staff in the Metropolitan police are involved in (a) operational duties and (b) non-policing functions. [1679]
Mr. Maclean: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that all police officers are available for operational duties. Currently, 88.7 per cent. of police officers and 37.2 per cent. of civilian staff are allocated to operational duties, and 11.3 per cent. of police officers and 62.8 per cent. of civilian staff to non-operational support duties.
Prison Reports
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the additional costs of implementing the recommendations of the Woodcock and Learmont reports during 1995-96. [1682]
Miss Widdecombe: The implementation of the Woodcock report is expected to cost about £60 million in 1995-96. Whether the Prison Service will require additional provision to cover these costs will emerge in February 1996 at the time of the spring supplementary estimates. No additional expenditure is forecast in 1995-96 for the implementation of the Learmont report.
27 Nov 1995 : Column: 464
The Prison Service is now considering General Sir John Learmont's recommendations in detail and until that work is completed the likely cost of implementation cannot be assessed.
Ms Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Woodcock report. [1684]
Miss Widdecombe: The timetable for implementation of the recommendations made in the Woodcock report was published on 8 February. To date, 33 recommendations have been implemented and the remaining 31 have been implemented in part.
The majority of the recommendations not yet fully implemented require major construction work. A construction programme--which started with those prisons holding the highest categories of prisoners--is under way. That programme is currently being reviewed in the light of the recommendations in General Sir John Learmont's review of security across the Prison Service.
Remand Prisoners
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his current estimate of the average length of time for which remand prisoners are held prior to commencing trial. [1698]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Ms Janet Anderson, dated 27 November 1995:
(6) Provisional figures.
(7) Time spent in custody before conviction.
(8) Estimated from number of receptions and average population in 1994.
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking, what is his current estimate of the average length of time for which remand prisoners are held prior to commencing trial.
The available information is for the estimated average time in custody for untried prisoners. Figures for 1994 are given in the attached table.
Estimated average number of days in custody(8) Type of custody Male Female
Untried(7) 59 44
Sentencing Policy
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to publish a White Paper on sentencing. [1700]
Mr. Maclean: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 26 October Official Report, column 755-56.
27 Nov 1995 : Column: 465
Prison Population
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his current estimate of the size of the prison population at 31 March 1995; [1688]
- (2) how many prisoners he expects to be held in England and Wales by the end of the current financial year. [1694]
Miss Widdecombe: The latest projection, produced in October, is for the prison population in England and Wales on 31 March 1996 to be around 53,400. The population was projected from current trends and assumptions but past experience has shown the likelihood of unforeseen departures from the trend.
Ms Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what increase in the numbers of prisoners he expects to take place by the end of 1995. [1692]
Miss Widdecombe: The latest projection, produced in October, is for the prison population in England and Wales on 31 December 1995 to be around 50,000. This compares with a population of 52,410 on 22 November 1995. The December figure will be depressed in comparison to other months due to the seasonal downturn at the end of the year. The population was projected from current trends and assumptions but past experience has shown the likelihood of unforeseen departures from the trend.
COPEX Exhibition
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police presence was provided at the COPEX exhibition at Sandown racecourse in November; and at what cost. [1640]
Mr Maclean: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that a total of 22 officers policed the COPEX exhibition at an estimated additional total cost of £1,050.00.
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