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Young Remand Prisoners
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average length of time spent by young people held in custody on remand before their case was decided in the last year for which figures are available. [67224]
Mr. George Howarth: The information requested is given in the table.
| Estimated average number of days in custody (16) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Untried (17) | Convicted unsentenced (18) | |||
| Year | Males | Females | Males | Females |
| 1998 | 36 | 24 | 37 | 25 |
(15) Provisional figures
(16) Estimated from number of receptions and average population
(17) Time spent in Prison Service establishments before conviction
(18) Time spent in Prison Service establishments after conviction
Juvenile Prison Establishments
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the juvenile prison establishments which have workshops in England and Wales. [67221]
Mr. George Howarth: Establishments in England and Wales holding sentenced juveniles which have workshops are set out as follows.
- Prison establishments with workshops holding sentenced juveniles
- Name of establishment
- Castington
- Dover
- Drake Hall
- Feltham
- Glen Parva
- Highpoint
- Hindley
- Holloway
- Lancaster Farms
- Low Newton
- Moorland
- New Hall
- Onley
- Portland
- Stoke Heath
26 Jan 1999 : Column: 200
- Styal 1
- Swinfen Hall
- Werrington.
- 1 Workshop currently used only by adult prisoners.
Prisoners (Young People)
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many boys aged (a) under 15, (b) 15, (c) 16 and (d) 17 years are currently imprisoned in adult prisons in England and Wales. [67231]
Mr. George Howarth: The currently available information relates to the population on the last day of December 1998 and is given in the table. Young persons held in adult prisons are normally accommodated separately from adults.
| Age | Number |
|---|---|
| Under 15 | -- |
| 15 | 25 |
| 16 | 57 |
| 17 | 254 |
(19) Provisional figures
Young Prisoners (Suicides)
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those people aged under 18 years who committed suicide in prisons in England and Wales last year were (a) being held in adult gaols and (b) on remand. [67218]
Mr. George Howarth: Regrettably, three apparent self-inflicted deaths occurred last year among those aged under 18 years in prisons in England and Wales, of which one was in a young offender unit of an adult prison. Two of the prisoners were unsentenced.
The inquest on the first death returned a verdict of suicide. The inquests on the remaining two deaths have not yet been held.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the incidence of suicide among people aged under 18 years in prisons in England and Wales. [67217]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Government are committed to doing everything possible to reduce the incidence of suicide in prisons. My noble Friend, Lord Williams, chairs a regular meeting between the Prison Service and a range of representatives from groups interested in prison suicides including: the Samaritans; Howard League; Prison Reform Trust; Inquest; and the Board of Visitors, to discuss how they can work more closely together.
26 Jan 1999 : Column: 201
The Prison Service is currently re-examining instructions and guidance on caring for the suicidal to be issued as a new Prison Service Order (PSO). The special needs of under 18 year olds will be considered as part of that review. In addition, the Prison Service is currently developing new regime standards for under 18 year olds in consultation with the Youth Justice Board. These, along with the creation of a distinct juvenile estate, will improve the standard of care and quality of regimes for remanded and sentenced juveniles held in Prison Service accommodation.
We welcome the current thematic review of suicide and self-harm conducted by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, the report of which is soon to be published. We look forward to any recommendations he has in this important area of work.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons in England and Wales do not have a probation service operating within the prison; and if he will make a statement. [67222]
Mr. George Howarth:
Probation services operate in all prison establishments.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision he has made for additional staff at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate during the transfer of files from Croydon. [67240]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
About 42 staff were made available to help with moving files out of Lunar House (which is to be refurbished). Crating and transportation of files was carried out by a commercial contractor.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 1999, Official Report, column 330, on deportation orders, if he will give the reasons for the deportation orders not having been given effect. [67337]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Reasons for orders not being given effect could be established only by examining each case individually at disproportionate cost. However, a delay may arise for one or more of the following reasons: an appeal or other legal challenge, an asylum application, difficulties in obtaining a travel document, the subject has still to complete a custodial sentence or cannot be traced. Some of the latter may have left the country without informing the Immigration Service. Orders issued later will inevitably be activated outside the reference period.
Ms Ryan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the report of General Sir John Learmont on the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [68123]
Mr. Straw:
General Sir John Learmont's report on the escapes from Parkhurst and the management of the Prison Service has had a huge impact. His findings, together with those of Sir John Woodcock's inquiry into the escape
26 Jan 1999 : Column: 202
from Whitemoor in September 1994, have led to greatly improved physical security and a significant change in the way staff in prisons consider security as they go about their day to day tasks. The number of escapes, the measure by which the Prison Service is most often judged by the public, has dropped significantly since the report.
Of the 127 recommendations on prison security and the management of the Service, 118 have been accepted in full, in part or with some qualifications. The position on each recommendation is set out in a document which has been placed in the Library. Those recommendations which have been accepted but have not yet been implemented in full will be taken forward within existing resources. A revised Security Manual has now been published which will tie up a number of outstanding matters. I have decided not to accept Sir John's proposals for a High Security prison and a control prison, in the light of the significant improvements to security in the Category A estate and improvements in the management of the most seriously disruptive prisoners.
There remains one substantive recommendation on which I have asked for further work to be done--No. 63, proposing that all staff, including Governors, should normally wear uniform. I hope to be able to announce a decision on this recommendation soon and a final report on the outcome of this inquiry will be provided then.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 January 1999, Official Report, column 482, if he will list the (a) names and (b) location of those magistrates' courts where prosecutions for lottery offences under sections 2, 3, 4, 13 and 14 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 were tried in each of the years between 1994 and 1997, indicating the outcome of each hearing. [67587]
Mr. George Howarth:
As the tables containing the information that we have from court reports are long, they have been placed in the Library.
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