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Prison Service Funding
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the overall target reduction in operating costs for the Prison Service agency per baseline certified normal accommodation place over the four years 1995-96 to 1999-2000 implicit in the November 1996 announcements on funding for the Prison Service (a) excluding extra funds for implementing the Woodcock report and for mandatory drug testing and (b) including such funds. [15510]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 17 February 1997]: 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 Richard Tilt to Sir Ivan Lawrence, dated 18 February 1997:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent question asking about target reductions in cost per place.
The figures are in real terms, i.e. adjusted for inflation and are also adjusted to ensure like for like comparison over a period of years, by stripping out the funds transferred to the Prison Service previously held elsewhere (e.g. payments to local authorities under Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act) and also by stripping out both the cost and the places associated with design, construct, manage and finance (DCMF) contract prisons (because payments to contractors include a capital element, and they are therefore not comparable with the current cost per place of public sector prisons).
On this basis, the reduction in real terms of cost per place, comparing provision for 1999-2000 and outturn for 1995-96, is 5.5% excluding new money to complete implementation of the Woodcock proposals. Including this money the comparison becomes 5.9%.
The figures for the period 1996-97 to 1999-2000 are the ones which we will now be using in our future plans. Comparing provision for 1999-2000 with provision for 1996-97, the reduction is 4.9% or excluding new money for Woodcock, 5.3%.
Absconding Prisoners
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers of (a) absconds from open conditions and (b) temporary leave failures for the Prison Service for 1992-93, and for each subsequent year. [15512]
Miss Widdeombe
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: 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.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 530
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 | 1,432 |
| 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 | 1,403 |
| 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995 | 1,192 |
| 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 | 947 |
| 1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997 | 886 |
(31) The above figures include absconds from establishments which have both an open and closed element.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 | 3,378 |
| 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 | 2,740 |
| 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995 | 1,825 |
| 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996 | 438 |
| 1 April 1996 to 31 January 1997 | 220 |
(32) The above are prisoners who failed to return and were reported to the police as unlawfully at large.
Prison Service (Early Retirement)
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are now expected to leave the Prison Service as a result of the voluntary early retirement and severance scheme. [15513]
Miss Widdecome [holding answer 17 February 1997]: 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 Richard Tilt to Sir Ivan Lawrence, dated 18 February 1997:
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 531
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the Prison Service voluntary early retirement and severance scheme.
1090 members of staff have accepted offers of early retirement or severance. We are awaiting replies to offers that have been made to a further 57 staff.
Prisons (Staffing Levels)
Sir Ivan Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the staff to inmate ratio for the Prison Service in 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990 and in each subsequent year. [15514]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 17 February 1997]: 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.
| Year | Staff | Prisoner |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1 | 2.47 |
| 1975 | 1 | 2.02 |
| 1980 | 1 | 2.30 |
| 1985 | 1 | 2.02 |
| 1990(33) | 1 | 1.40 |
| 1991 | 1 | 1.40 |
| 1992 | 1 | 1.31 |
| 1993 | 1 | 1.17 |
| 1994 | 1 | 1.24 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1.26 |
| 1996 | 1 | 1.33 |
(33) The fall reflects the change in prison officer working practices and the reduction in their hours worked.
Prison Officer Kettleborough (Injuries)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Prison Officer Kettleborough has applied to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for compensation in respect of injuries during the Whitemoor escape. [15594]
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 17 February 1997]: It is not the practice of either the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board or the new Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to disclose details about individual applications.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the nature of the gunshot wound suffered by Prison Officer Kettleborough at the time of the Whitemoor escape; and for how long he remained in hospital. [15595]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 17 February 1997]: 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 18 February 1997:
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 532
Mr. Austin-Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the crime clear-up rates for each police force in England in the most recent year for which figures are available. [16220]
Mr. Maclean
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: The latest information relates to 1995 and is published in table 2.11 of "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1995" (Cm 3421), a copy of which is available in the Library.
Mr. Austin-Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much an average band D council tax payer in London paid towards policing costs in 1996-97; and if he will estimate (a) the cost for 1997-98 and (b) the percentage change. [16218]
Mr. Maclean
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: For 1996-97, the receiver for the Metropolitan police district issued a precept of £49.84 per property in council tax band D for Metropolitan police purposes. The budget proposals for 1997-98, which the receiver has submitted to my right hon. and learned Friend for approval, would require a precept of £57.00 per property in council tax band D. This would be an increase of 14.4 per cent.
Mr. Austin-Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police constables there were in London in each division and area in each of the years from 1992 to 1997. [16219]
Mr. Maclean
[holding answer 17 February 1997]: The information requested is given in the following two tables. Owing to restructuring in the Metropolitan police in 1994, when the number of areas was reduced from eight to five, valid comparisons of area police strength cannot be made between the two tables. Figures for January 1995 appear in both tables as some officers were still in the process of being transferred from the old to the new restructured areas.
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the gun shot wound suffered by a prison officer during the escape from Whitemoor in September 1994.
The officer received a graze and severe bruising to his lower abdomen. He was treated at hospital, but not admitted.
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 534
18 Feb 1997 : Column: 535
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