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Dogs (Tail Docking)
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission research into the docking of dog tails for non-veterinary reasons. [5592]
Mr. Sackville: There are no plans to do so.
Departmental Decisions (Appeals)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those administrative decisions of his Department affecting (a) United Kingdom citizens and (b) non-citizens where there is no right of appeal. [6028]
Mr. Howard: My officials take administrative decisions every day which affect many members of the public, whether United Kingdom citizens of not. There are also many systems for appeal or challenge, but no list of them has ever been compiled or could be compiled, except at disproportionate cost.
Bradford Commission
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates (a) he and (b) officials in his Department received a copy or copies of the Bradford commission report. [5984]
Mr. Kirkhope: Officials received copies of the report on 21 November.
Prison Service (Quantum Project)
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what terms of reference were given to the Prison Service agency quantum project; [4071]
- (2) if he will list each of the contractors and consultants engaged since the start of the Prison Service agency quantum project; [4072]
(3) what is his latest estimate of the Prison Service agency quantum project; [4073]
(4) if he will list the contractors and consultants engaged by the Prison Service information technology group since the setting up of the Prison Service agency in 1993; [4074]
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(5) what assessment has been made of the likely impact on employment levels in each prison establishment of project quantum. [4075]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 19 November 1996]: Responsibility for these matters 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 25 November 1996:
25 Nov 1996 : Column: 10
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the Quantum Project: what terms of reference were given; what contractors/consultants have been employed by the Prison Service Information Technology Group and a list of those employed since the start of the Quantum project; the latest estimate of the cost of the project; and what assessment has been made of the likely impact on employment levels in each prison.
The terms of reference for the project are: to investigate the feasibility of utilising the UK Government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to provide improved information systems within the Prison Service. This will be done by inviting private sector companies to consider the clerical and information processing functions relating to personnel, finance and inmates as well as the core IT infrastructure and applications.
A list of contractor and consultancy firms engaged by the Prison Service IT Group since the setting up of the Prison Service Agency in 1993 is shown in the attached list A.
A list of contractor and consultancy firms engaged to work on the Quantum Project since it started is shown in the attached list B.
It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the cost of the Prison Service Agency Quantum Project until the final scope has been decided.
In the same way, I am not in a position to make an assessment of the effect on Prison Service jobs of the implementation of Quantum because the final scope of the project has yet to be decided. I am anticipating making that decision after a study has been undertaken by suppliers during the second quarter of 1997.
List A
Contractor/consultancy firms employed by the prison service IT Group since agency status in 1993
Interskill (formerly VNG Nationwide/Winway)
Software Personnel plc
Capita Recruitment Services
Certes Computing Ltd. (Previously Alpha-Rac)
Daymount Computing Ltd.
CSS Trident
S. Com Computer Systems Engineers Ltd.
DBI Associates Ltd.
Hays Accounting Personnel
Hewitson Walker
Inline PKG
SQA Software Quality Assurance Ltd.
Hoskyns
Triad
ABT International
Frost Berkley Associates
Hunterskill
Myriad
ICS Ltd. (Independent Computer Solutions)
Cornwell Affiliates Ltd.
Hoskyns Group Plc
Accountancy Personnel
ACT Ltd.
PA Consulting
Ernst & Young
William J. Cooper Associates
Sema Group
Oscar Faber
Logica
John Matchett Ltd.
Computacentre
Bull Information Systems
Windsor Consulting
ADS Technologies
CIAS
Tetra Ltd.
KPMG
Redra Ltd.
Lorien Personnel
Ess-Comm
Frost Berkley
Computer People
List B
Contractor/consultancy firms employed to work on the Quantum Project
French Thornton
Hedra
Kermon Ltd.
KPMG
Oscar Faber
DBI Associates Ltd.
Axsis Consultants Ltd.
Prisons (Smuggling)
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many finds of (a) drugs or (b) other contraband there have been in which (a) lawyers, (b) probation officers, (c) chaplains and (d) relatives of inmates have been implicated during the last 12 months in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement; [4776]
- (2) how many finds of contraband have there been in the wiring of the bras of (a) prisoners' partners and (b) professional visitors to gaols in England and Wales during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement; [4673]
(3) how many lawyers sand probation officers have been apprehended attempting to take drugs or other contraband into gaols in England and Wales, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [4674]
(4) what changes there have been in search procedures in gaols in England and Wales during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [4676]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 20 November 1996]: Responsibility for these matters 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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Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 25 November 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about searching, and particularly the searching of visitors to prisons.
The statistical information you have requested is not available. However, I can provide figures for the number of visitors arrested for smuggling drugs in to prisons in the last five years. These do not differentiate between domestic and professional visitors.
Year (1 November to 31 October) Number of visitors arrested 1991-2 229
1992-3 341
1993-4 521
1994-5 1,040
1995-6 1,289
The Woodcock and Learmont reports drew attention to some very serious weaknesses in prison security, particularly in high security prisons. These included weaknesses in the degree to which we searched visitors.
It was recommended that all visitors to prisons holding category A prisoners should receive a rub-down search in accordance with the procedures set out in the Security Manual, copies of which are available in the Library. Official visitors (such as members of the Board of Visitors and governors) and professional visitors (such as lawyers and probation officers) are included in this requirement.
Changes in search procedures in the last twelve months include:
Visitors to prisoners held in SSUs who are taking part in a closed visit are no longer rub-down searched on leaving the SSU.
All staff responsible for searching staff and visitors in the highest security prisons have been trained in X-ray procedures and given refresher training in rub-down searching techniques.
In prisons holding category A prisoners where new facilities have been installed, all staff are searched on entry.
Passive drug detection dogs have been introduced in six prisons.
Full Sutton Prison
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent at Her Majesty's prison, Full Sutton on replacing locks following the discovery in the week beginning 11 November of an impression of a master key in a prisoner's cell. [5254]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 21 November 1996]: 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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