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6 May 2003 : Column 599W—continued

Offending Behaviour Programmes

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rates were for re-offending by offenders who have completed accredited offending behaviour programmes, broken down by (a) programme and (b) area, in the most recent complete year available. [109516]

Hilary Benn: The information sought is not yet available. The reconviction rate is measured over a two-year period from completion of the programme. The first accredited offending behaviour programmes were introduced in 2001 and reconviction data will not be available until spring 2004.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many completions there have been of accredited offending behaviour programmes since each programme's inception, broken down by

6 May 2003 : Column 600W

(a) programme and (b) area in each full year available; and what efforts are being made to reduce programme attrition. [109517]

Hilary Benn: The National Probation Service is making good progress with the implementation of its accredited offending behaviour programmes. There were 3,383 completions in the only full year for which figures are available, April 2001 to March 2002. Table A provides a breakdown by area and programme. Since roll out began in January 2001, 8,613 individuals have completed accredited offending behaviour programmes.

The National Probation Service is tackling attrition by addressing case management and programme targeting. Each probation area is required to prepare an attrition action plan which will be monitored as part of the National Probation Service's performance management framework.

Table A: Accredited Programmes Completions April 2001-March 2002

	Think First	ETS	R&R	Priestley 1to1	ASRO	PRISM	ART	DIDs	SOGP	Total per area
Avon and Somerset	105						-	-	-	105
Bedfordshire	39			1		4		3		47
Cambridgeshire	30			-					-	30
Cheshire	42				-					42
Co. Durham	102									102
Cumbria	42									42
Devon and Cornwall	72									72
Derbyshire		72							7	79
Dyfed-Powys				11						11
Dorset	34									34
Essex			88	-						88
Gloucestershire	29			1	33	2				65
Greater Manchester	238				-					238
Gwent		23								23
Hampshire		66								66
Hertfordshire	67									67
Humberside	43			1						44
Kent	44			4			-	-		48
Lancashire	99				63					162
Leicestershire and Rutland		62		-				-	-	62
Lincolnshire			35					-	-	35
London	465		34							499
Merseyside	109									109
Norfolk	52			-						52
North Wales		20								20
North Yorkshire	28			-						28
Northamptonshire		43								43
Northumbria	219			37					61	317
Nottinghamshire	31			-				-	-	31
South Wales			33							33
South Yorkshire	18							12		30
Staffordshire		10		-						10
Suffolk	31			2						33
Surrey		26		48				-	-	74
Sussex	40							-		40
Teesside	99			2					1	102
Thames Valley	96								53	149
Warwickshire	-			5				-		5
West Mercia		12		4					-	16
West Midlands	168							-		168
West Yorkshire		130								130
Wiltshire	32									32
Totals per programme	2,374	464	190	116	96	6	-	15	122	3,383

Full name of programme:

Think First

Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS)

Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R&R)

Priestley One-to-One (1–2-1)

Addressing Substance-related Offending (ASRO)

Programme for Reducing Individual Substance Misuse (PRISM)

Aggression Replacement Training (ART)

Drink Impaired Drivers (DIDs)

Sex Offender Groupwork Programmes (SOGP)

⁽¹¹⁾

⁽¹²⁾ (SOGP includes Thames Valley (TV-SOGP), Northumbria (N-SOGP) and West Midlands (C-SOGP) Programmes

6 May 2003 : Column 601W

Prisons

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial penalties have been imposed on private prison contractors in respect of privately operated establishments in each financial year since 1997–98; what the reasons were for each penalty; and whether the imposition of a penalty resulted in each case in the withholding of the corresponding amount from the contractor concerned. [109520]

Hilary Benn: The following table shows the financial penalties imposed and the reasons for these penalties. Forest Bank prison and young offender institution has not incurred financial deductions.

Number ofoccasions	Penalty: (£)	Reasons (PP= Performance Points)	Dates
	Altcourse Prison
	Operating contractor: Group 4 Falck
01	2,368.58	PPs for Qtr 2	September 1998
02	195,000.00	PPs & Doubling Qtrs 2, 3 and 4
03	4,144.97	PPs for Qtr 3	December 1998
04	3,954.04	PPs for Qtr 4	March 1999
05	3,511.23	PPs for Qtr 1	June 1999
06	3,304.27	PPs for Qtr 2	September 1999
07	440.40	PPs for Qtr 3	December 1999
08	108,039.25	PPs for Qtr 4	February 2000
09	4.82	PPs for Qtr 4	March 2000
10	34,061.74	PPs for Qtr 1	May 2000
11	9.77	PPs for Qtr 1	June 2000
12	72,644	PPs for Qtr 4	November 2000
	Ashfield Young Offender Institution
	Operating contractor: Primier Prison Services
01	66,310.41	PPs for Qtr 4	January 2002
02	111,552.95	PPs for Qtr 1	April 2002
03	126,026.47	PPs for Qtr 2	July 2002
04	46,417.99	PPs for Qtr 3	October 2002
	Blakenhurst Prison
	Former operating contractor: UKDS. Under Prison Service management since 19 August 2001
	25,000.00	Escape	November 1998
	Dovegate Prison
	Operating contractor: Premier prison Services
01	168,015.24	PPs for Qtr 1	January 2002
02	116,807.46	PPs for Qtr 2	April 2002
03	141,774.69	PPs for Qtr 3	July 2002
	Doncaster Prison and Young Offender Institution
	Operating contractor: Premier Prison Services
	30,000.00	Escape	August 2001
	Lowdham Grange Prison
	Operating contractor: Premier Prison Services
01	702.00	PPs for Qtr 1	June 1998
02	45,080,00	PPs for Qtr 3	November 1998
04	6,334.00	PPs for Qtr 4	February 1999
05	11,865.00	PPs for Qtr 4	February 2000
06	5,703.00	PPs for Qtr 1	May 2001
	Parc Prison
	Operating contractor: Securicor
01	54,782.00	PPs for Qtr 4	March 1998
02	1,308.56	PPs for Qtr 1	July 1998
03	298.09	Doubling	June 1998
04	750,000.00	PP's for Qtr 3+ doubling	November 1998
05	7,520.17	PP's for Qtr 1+ doubling	May 1999
06	80,390.38	Doubling Qtr 2	August 1999
07	2,296.94	Doubling Qtr 2	September 1999
08	109,329.27	Doubling Qtr 3	November 1999
09	601.77	Doubling Qtr 4	January 2000
10	7,708.10	PPs for Qtr 1	April 2000
11	5,401.68	PPs for Qtr 2	July 2000
12	3,448.07	PPs for Qtr 3	October 2000
13	59.22	PPs for Qtr 4	January 2001
Rye Hill Prison
	Operating contractor: Group 4 Falck
	60,000.00	Escape	June 2002
	Wolds Prison
	Operating contractor: Group 4 Falck
01	3,607.50	PPs for Qtr 3	October 1999
01	10,432.50	PPs for Qtr 4	January 2000
03	15,353.00	PPs for Qtr 2	July 2000
04	9,782.50	PPs for Qtr 3	October 2000
05	4,680.00	PPs for Qtr 4	January 2000
06	11,472.50	PPs for Qtr 1	April 2001
07	3,724.50	PPs for Qtr 2	July 2001

6 May 2003 : Column 602W

With the exception of the £195,000 and £108,039.25 penalties imposed on Altcourse in November 1998 and February 2000, the £750,000 penalty imposed on Parc in November 1998 and the £11,865 penalty imposed on Lowdham Grange in February 2000, the imposition of a penalty resulted in each case in the withholding of the corresponding amount from the contractor concerned. In the case of Altcourse and Parc, the penalties were reduced to take account of early problems with contract monitoring and in the case of Lowdham Grange the penalty was waived in return for a commitment from the contractor to provide additional services beyond the requirements in the contract.

Mr. John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to implement the recommendations of HM Inspector of Prisons following the visits to HM Prison Kingston on 12–16 February 2001 and 5–7 November 2002 with particular reference to elderly prisoners. [110334]

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to the prison service on the implementation of recommendations from the visits of HM Inspector to prisons, following the inspection report by HM Inspector of Prisons at HM Prison Kingston on 5–7 November 2002. [110343]

Hilary Benn: The Prison Service will, as with all such reports, produce an action plan based on each of the recommendations made by the chief inspector. The action plan will set out the Prison Service's response to each recommendation, the action to be taken to implement recommendations and the person responsible, together with a timescale for implementation. The Prison Service accepts the vast majority of recommendations made by the Chief Inspector in all of her reports, and provides updates to me and to the Chief Inspector.

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners (a) started sentences in prisons and (b) completed sentences and left prisons in England and Wales in each month between April 2001 and March 2003. [110356]

6 May 2003 : Column 603W

Hilary Benn: The number of prisoners who were (a) received under sentence and (b) discharged from sentences in prisons in England and Wales in each month between April 2001 and February 2003 are given in the following table:

Receptions

	2001	2002	2003
January		8,260	7,790
February		8,430	7,590
March		8,020
April	7,170	8,060
May	7,730	9,030
June	7,820	6,660
July	7,990	8,600
August	7,970	7,670
September	7,200	7,860
October	8,220	8,440
November	8,080	7,730
December	5,890	5,980

Discharges

	2001	2002	2003
January		6,600	7,000
February		6,300	6,400
March		7,500
April	6,900	7,200
May	7,100	8,400
June	7,100	6,200
July	7,200	8,000
August	7,800	7,400
September	6,700	7,100
October	7,400	7,600
November	7,700	7,800
December	7,600	8,700

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners, and in which establishments do prisoners, eat their meals in their cells (a) every day and (b) more than half the week. [110399]

Hilary Benn: The information is not readily available in the form requested and I shall write to my hon. Friend once it is available. In many cases there will be the option for prisoners to eat meals in cell or while on association. Arrangements will also vary at different mealtimes.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what incentives are given to the operators of private prisons to reduce the rate of recidivism of the inmates they house. [110487]

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 588W.

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