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Risk Assessment

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's Study on assessing dangerous offender risk in practice. [88520]

Mr. Boateng: A project commenced in November 1998 to examine issues associated with the risk assessment and risk management process with dangerous and sex offenders. The research is assessing consistency of practice between the police and other agencies, as well as identifying good practice. The fieldwork is being undertaken in six police force areas in England and Wales and is due to be completed towards the end of 1999.

A review of the literature in the area of risk assessment and risk management has also been undertaken and is likely to be published by the end of 1999.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's comparative study of risk assessment scales in use by the Prison Service and Probation Service. [88519]

Mr. George Howarth: The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office has received an interim report of a study conducted by the University of Wales and the Probation Studies Unit, Oxford, on behalf of the Home Office, entitled "Evaluating Risk and Need Assessment in Probation Services". The study examined how the risk scores obtained from the two risk assessment instruments commonly used by probation services compared with actual reconvictions over a 12 month period. The findings so far are provisional but indicate that both tools are able to produce risk measures

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which are significantly related to subsequent reconviction. We expect to receive the final report at the end of October and to publish it in December.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress and conclusions of his Department's survey of prison and probation officers' experience of risk assessment scales. [88518]

Mr. George Howarth: The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office is working on a draft report entitled, "Risk of Re-offending and Needs Assessments: the user's perspective" which is expected to be published in December alongside other research on risk assessment. It will look at the practical experiences and attitudes of probation officers using risk and needs assessment tools and make recommendations about the structure and use of any new system.

Prisons (Drugs)

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have had (a) visits curtailed and (b) closed visits enforced because of drugs being smuggled during prison visits in the latest period for which figures are available. [88302]

Mr. George Howarth: Information on closed visits enforced because of drug smuggling is not yet available centrally. Information on curtailed visits is not collated centrally.

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into a correlation between drug abuse and the level of opportunity for work, training or recreation in prison. [88305]

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Mr. George Howarth: No research has been commissioned specifically into the correlation between drug misuse and the level of opportunity for work, training or recreation in prison. However, we have set targets for purposeful activity within prison regimes based on the belief that constructive and structured regimes can contribute towards a reduction in offending of all kinds.

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantities of what unauthorised drugs were found in HM prisons and young offenders' institutions in each of the last five calendar years. [88301]

Mr. George Howarth: Information on the number of seizures of different drugs found in prison establishments is outlined in the table. However, data on quantities of drugs found are not available.

Drug finds in prisons in England and Wales 1994-98

Type of drug found	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Amphetamines	120	242	197	161	152
Barbiturates	70	82	56	41	23
Cannabis Resin	4,859	6,442	4,897	4,093	3,054
Cannabis Herbal	252	288	223	240	188
Cocaine	108	143	97	98	86
Crack	0	12	21	32	39
Heroin	350	678	1,034	992	1,079
LSD	49	28	18	11	11
Other (Miscellaneous)	406	643	673	548	454
Total	6,214	8,561	7,216	6,216	5,086

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mandatory drug tests on prisoners proved (a) positive and (b) negative in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and in what proportion of positive tests disciplinary action was taken. [88708]

Mr. George Howarth: In 1998, 88,304 mandatory drug tests were undertaken, and some 20,152 of those tests were positive for drugs. This figure includes results from both random and targeted tests. During 1998, a total of 15,672 offences of "unauthorised use of a controlled drug" were punished under the Prison Rules. Not all positive tests lead to disciplinary action for a number of reasons including:

If a prisoner were imprisoned for less than the retention period of the drug that tested positive, no charge could be laid because the misuse could have taken place whilst in the community. The maximum retention time for benzodiazepines and cannabis is 30 days.

Similarly, if a prisoner tested positive twice within a short space of time, they might not be charged on the second occasion because both positive results could have arisen from the same incident of misuse.

A prisoner might be released after being tested but before any charge could be laid.

A few prisons operate a policy of cautioning a prisoner outside an adjudication for a first offence of cannabis misuse.

There will always be a small number of cases where a procedural error, for example failure to charge within 48 hours of the discovery of an offence, means that the case cannot proceed to adjudication.

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Prevention of Terrorism

(Temporary Provisions) Act

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on what dates (a) he first sought legal advice about the status of Parts IVA and IVB of the Prevention of Terrorism (Emergency Provisions) Act 1989, (b) he received that legal advice and (c) he advised the police not to rely on those Parts of the Act; [88732]

(2) on what date instructions were given to draft the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 (Revisal of Parts IVA and IVB) Order 1999; and if he will make a statement. [88801]

Mr. Straw: Instructions were given on 21 June 1999 to draft the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 (Revival of Parts IVA and IVB) Order 1999.

The Law Officers received a written request from my Department for legal advice about the status of Parts IVA and IVB of the Act, and other related matters, on 1 June. They received Counsel's opinion on 17 June and gave their written advice to my Department on the same day. My officials provided me with detailed advice on 18 June.

Chief Officers were advised on 23 June 1999 that Parts IVA and IVB of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 had not been in force since 22 March 1998 and that they should not, therefore, rely on these provisions. Prior to this, on 28 May, informal advice had been given to the Secretary of the relevant Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers to the effect that a question mark had arisen about the status of the provisions and that urgent advice was being sought.

Prisoners

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of inmates were locked in their cells for (a) less than 10 hours a day, (b) between 10 and 15 hours a day, (c) between 15 and 20 hours a day and (d) in excess of 20 hours a day in each prison and young offenders' institutions in the most recent period for which figures are available. [88304]

Mr. George Howarth: The Prison Service collects, for each establishment, only the average time that all prisoners spend locked in their cells. The table shows the proportion of the prison population held in prisons where the average time locked in cell in May 1999 was as stated. Data are provisional and subject to validation by prisons. This excludes performance at Portland prison where reliable information for May is not yet available.

Percentage of population held in prisons where average time locked in cell in May 1999 was as stated

	Weekdays		Weekends
Hours	Average prisoner population within each band	Percentage	Average prisoner population within each band	Percentage
More than 20	0	0	1,196	2
Between 15 and 20	17,369	27	33,809	53
Between 10 and 15	41,678	65	23,774	37
Less than 10	5,106	8	5,374	8
	64,153		64,153

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