---

Court Hearings

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the performance of contractors in delivering prisoners to magistrates courts in the West Midlands in good time for court hearings. [43425]

11 Apr 2002 : Column 559W

Beverley Hughes: Premier Prison Services, who operate the court escort contract in the west Midlands and mid Wales, are required to deliver prisoners to magistrates courts in their area 30 minutes before court start time. In the six months to February 2002 over 20,000 prisoners have been escorted by Premier Prison Services to those courts and of these approximately 82 per cent. have arrived by the time stated in their contract. A further seven per cent. have arrived before court start time.

All failures to meet the obligations placed on Premier Prison Services by the contract are examined by the Prison Service court escort monitor for the area and, where they are considered to be at fault, penalty points are imposed. If these exceed a prescribed level then financial remedies may be applied. Not all late deliveries are the direct fault of Premier Prison Services. Late discharges from prison, long journeys occasioned by the general population pressures on the prison estate and circumstances beyond the control of the parties involved may all be contributory factors in any individual case. Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Sex Offender Treatment Programmes

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on availability of sex offender treatment programmes in prison. [42891]

Beverley Hughes: There are five versions of the accredited Sex Offender Treatment Programmes (SOTP) delivered in prisons: a core programme for all except those with learning difficulties and those at low risk of re-offending; an adapted programme for those with learning difficulties; an extended programme for those at high risk of re-offending; a rolling programme for those at low risk of re-offending; and a booster programme for those who have completed other versions of the programme and are preparing for release.

The Prison Service's targets for numbers of prisoners completing versions of the programme in 2002–03 and 2003–04 are 950 and 1,240 respectively. Versions of the programme are currently delivered at 25 prisons. This is planned to rise to 27 prisons in 2002–03 and 28 in 2003–04. Prisoners may need to be transferred in order to undertake the programme.

It is not possible to be precise as to whether provision exactly meets demand. For example, the programme is also delivered to those serving sentences for other offences but who have previous histories of sexual offending; and some offenders have to be excluded from treatment temporarily or permanently because clinical assessment at the start of the programme is that they are unlikely to be responsive. However, the Prison Service keeps the programme under review to ensure its availability to all eligible prisoners with sentences long enough to complete it.

Premier Prison Services, who operate the court escort contract in the West Midlands and Mid Wales, are required to deliver prisoners to magistrates'courts in their area 30 minutes before court start time. In the six months to February 2002 over 20,000 prisoners have been escorted by Premier Prison Services to those courts

11 Apr 2002 : Column 560W

and of these approximately 82 per cent. have arrived by the time stated in their contract. A further seven per cent. have arrived before the court start time.

All failures to meet the obligations placed on Premier Prison Services by the contract are examined by the Prison Service Court Escort Monitor for the area and, where they are considered to be at fault, penalty points are imposed. If these exceed a prescribed level then financial remedies may be applied. Not all late deliveries are the direct fault of Premier Prison Services. Late discharges from prison, long journeys occasioned by the general population pressures on the prison estate and circumstances beyond the control of the parties involved may all be contributory factors in any individual case. Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Prisons

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on overcrowding in prisons. [42893]

Beverley Hughes: At the end of February 2002, a total of 13,963 prisoners were held in overcrowded conditions. This is 20 per cent. of the prisoner population.

Most overcrowding is attributable to the numbers held two in a cell designed for one, commonly known as doubling. Within the total overcrowding figure above, 12,516 prisoners were held doubled. The average rate of doubling for the current year to the end of February is 17 per cent. which remains below the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) target for 2001–02 18 per cent or less.

Data are provisional and subject to validation by prisons.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to address overcrowding in women's prisons. [43536]

Beverley Hughes: The female prison population on 15 March 2002 was 4,229. This was 146 below the total certified operational capacity of 4,375 for the same day. The Government sets no target for the prison population as it is for the courts to determine who is sent to prison. The Government will provide the places necessary to accommodate safely and securely those sentenced by the courts. New prison capacity is opening this year for female prisoners. Buckley Hall, a 350 place prison near Rochdale, will change function shortly from male to female use. Female capacity will increase by 80 places later this year when two ready use units are opened at Morton Hall in Lincolnshire. A further 810 places will be provided by 2004, in new prisons at Ashford (near Heathrow) and at Peterborough.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what aftercare is made available to women prisoners with mental health problems after they have been released. [43558]

Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Jacqui Smith: The Care Programme Approach (CPA), which is intended to address the health and social care needs of individual service users, applies to those women with mental health problems who leave prison in the same way that it applies to other mental health service users. It is intended to deliver care through a care plan to meet the individual needs of the

11 Apr 2002 : Column 561W

service user, and is an effective co-ordination process. Most women prisoners with a serious mental illness should leave prison on enhanced CPA.

Women prisoners with mental health problems should be able to access a full range of the community supports they need in order to promote their recovery and integration back into society through their CPA care co-ordinator or general practitioner. This should include housing, education, employment and leisure and the establishment of appropriate links with the benefits agency and probation service.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what ratio of prison officers to inmates is provided for (a) female and (b) male prisoners. [43539]

Beverley Hughes: On 31 January 2002, the ratio of prison officer grades to prisoner was—within public sector prisons:

1:2.54—female prisoners;

1:2.73—male prisoners,

within privately managed prisons:

1:2.18—male prisoners only.

The definition of prison officer grades differs within the public and private sector. On 31 January 2002, no privately managed prison accommodated female prisoners.

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if they Pay Review Board's recommendations for pay increases for prison offices will be met in full. [44420]

Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend (Huw Edwards) on 21 March 2002, Official Report, column 480W.

Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Timber

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the companies from which his Department has obtained timber and wood products and the total spent with each firm over the last five years. [43407]

Angela Eagle: Current data capture systems do not enable the information to be reported in the format requested. From April 2001 the Department has instructed procurement staff to record information on timber and timber-based purchases by volume per species but there have been difficulties in obtaining the data. The Department proposes to review its capture of information on timber and wood purchases once cross government guidelines have been agreed.

Knife Crime

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics his Department has collated on the incidence of knife crimes in Falmouth and Camborne. [43419]

Mr. Denham: The requested information is not collected centrally.

11 Apr 2002 : Column 562W

Wandsworth Prison

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prison workshops are in use at Wandsworth Prison. [44633]

Job No: CW0126 Folios: 000-000Operator: Operator Number 3. Date: 11/04/02

Beverley Hughes: Workshops currently in use at Wandsworth prison are a Laundry, Data Entry Shop, Brush Manufacturing Shop, Textile Shop, Tailoring Shop and Contract Services Workshop.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates at Wandsworth Prison are working gin prison workshops (a) full-time and (b) part-time, as at 15 March 2002. [44622]

Beverley Hughes: 263 prisoners were employed in prison workshops at Wandsworth prison on 15 March 2002. Of these, 121 were employed full-time and 142 part-time.

---