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Prison Service Health Research
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the nature of all (a) medical and (b) health care research currently being undertaken within the Prison Service for each United Kingdom prison. [27616]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Brian Landers to Mr. Martin Redmond dated 7 May 1996:
7 May 1996 : Column: 80
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about (a) medical and (b) health care research currently being undertaken within the Prison Service for each United Kingdom prison.
The Directorate of Health Care for the Prison Service in England and Wales holds a central register of medical and health care research receiving central support and approved by the independent Prison Service Health Research Ethics Committee. The attached list sets out the centrally approved and supported projects recorded on the central database as currently in progress.
Information on local studies, approved by the governor of an establishment and a recognised Research Ethics Committee, is not notified to the Directorate of Health Care in all cases and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
The situation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the respective Departments.
Prison Service Health Research Ethics Committee approved Medical and Health Care Research Projects receiving central funding
Assessment of the needs and best management of severely behaviourially disturbed young offenders at Aylesbury young offenders institution;
Evaluation of a pilot scheme for the contracting-our of Genito-Urinary Medicine services to the NHS by Wormwood Scrubs, Brixton and Wandsworth prisons;
Evaluation of the drugs rehabilitation programmes implemented in 22 prisons under phase 1 of the Prison Service Strategy for Drugs;
Analysis of the doctor patient relationship in the prison setting. Four sample prisons are in the process of selection;
Assessment of throughcare arrangements and needs for prisoners with a history of mental illness discharged from prison direct to the community--Yorkshire prisons;
Evaluation of a project jointly funded by the Department of Health and the MACA for development of care plans prior to release of mentally disordered prisoners--Leicestershire prisons;
A study into the effect of the application of section 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This involves central records without the direct involvement of establishments.
Prisons (Drugs)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in England and Wales that have been rendered free of illegal drugs following the implementation of Government policy; and if he will make a statement. [27620]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 7 May 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about prisons in England and Wales that have been rendered free of illegal drugs following the implementation of Government policy.
Mandatory drug testing has been implemented in all prisons, on schedule, by 31 March. The data it will yield will provide, over time, a good indicator of the level and patterns of drug misuse in prisons. But, because the random testing programme involves the testing of only 10 per cent. of a prison's population each month, even when all these tests prove negative it will not be safe to claim that a prison is free of drug misuse.
Prison Service Budget
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the chief inspector of prisons about the planned reductions in the prison service budget; and what action he has taken in response. [27858]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked for a reply to be given.
Letter from Brian Landers to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 7 May 1996:
7 May 1996 : Column: 81
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about representations from the Chief Inspector of Prisons about the planned reductions in the Prison Service budget; and what action has been taken in response.
There are regular contacts between the Chief Inspector, Home Office Ministers and the Prison Service on a wide range of issues, including cost reduction, which affect the Service as a whole and individual prison establishments. The Director General has told Sir David Ramsbotham that he has advised governors of the importance of maintaining the balance between essential security and control measures, constructive and effective regimes for prisoners and providing support for staff. The emphasis is on reducing costs and not reducing the amount of purposeful activity for prisoners; and resources should continue to be given to those programmes which help prisoners to address their offending behaviour.
Life Sentences
Mr. French: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time served by prisoners who have received mandatory life sentences before release on licence. [27717]
Miss Widdecombe: The available information is published in "Prison statistics, England and Wales",--table 8.5 of the 1994 edition, (Cm 3087). A copy of this publication is in the Library.
Office Space
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the square footage and cost of office space rented by his Department and its agencies and the number of his Department or agencies' buildings partly, or fully unoccupied together with the square footage of that unoccupied office space and its estimated rental value where available in each of the past five financial years. [27726]
Mr. Howard: The Home Office assumed accountability for all the offices in which it had occupations, including any vacant space therein from 1 April 1996. Prior to this date, the whole of the Government common user (office) estate--CUE--in which Government Departments were housed was owned by Property Holdings. The part of the question requesting figures for the last five financial years is, therefore, a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
As at 1 April 1996, the Home Office had no totally unoccupied office buildings, and only 10 with some vacant space. This vacant space amounted to 92,429 sq ft which comprised less than 1 per cent. of the total Home Office non-prison estate. The estimated annual rental cost of this vacant space is £205,000.
Special Constables
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money his Department spent on advertising campaigns to recruit special constables in each year from 1991-92 to 1995-96. [28204]
Mr. Howard: Expenditure by the Home Office on advertising to recruit special constables in each year from 1991-92 to 1995-96 was as follows:
| Financial year | £000 |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 875 |
| 1992-93 | 1,060 |
| 1993-94 | 1,460 |
| 1994-95 | 2,800 |
| 1995-96 | 2,300 |
7 May 1996 : Column: 82
Prisoners (Education and Training)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of education and training for prisoners have been budgeted for in the Prison Service in the current financial year. [27924]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mrs. Anne Campbell, dated 7 May 1996:
Mr. Pearson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were on remand at the latest available date categorised by their alleged offences. [28109]
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the number of hours of education and training budgeted for in the current financial year.
Each prison governor has a single budget for the running of the establishment. The allocation of funds will be determined by local circumstances, reflected in the business plan agreed with the area manager. Governors have been asked to report their initial spending plans for 1996-97 to the Prison Service Financial Support Section, and a preliminary forecast of the anticipated expenditure on education and training should be available towards the end of May or in early June.
Governors purchase teacher contact hours from their education provider at an agreed price per teacher contact hour. Contract prices are unique to each establishment, and the price per contract hour depends on the number of teacher contact hours ordered. There are also discount arrangements in some circumstances. It is, therefore, not possible to forecast the number of teaching hours to be ordered from the preliminary forecast of expenditure.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
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