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11 Dec 2003 : Column 618W—continued
Policing (Gwent)
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the trial Bobby on the Beat scheme in New Earswick. [142784]
Ms Blears: The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust funded the project in New Earswick. I have not carried out any evaluation of the project myself, but am aware that a full evaluation was carried out by the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Leeds for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
A full report of the research was published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 9 October 2003 and is available, together with summary findings, on the Foundation's website at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/023.asp.
Prisons
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of hours per week prisoners spent in education in the last 12 months was; and what the target figure is. [142175]
Paul Goggins: For the period September 2002 to August 2003 the average number of hours per week prisoners undertaking education spent in formal learning activities was 9.15. This excludes distance learning, private study, and learning which takes place on the wings, for example through peer support schemes.
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We do not have a target for the number of hours prisoners should be spending in education. Our targets for prisoner learning are outcome-based, focusing on improving prisoners' literacy, language, numeracy and vocational skills. In 2002–03 prisoners gained 41,518 basic skills achievements against a target of 28,800 (exceeding our target by 44.2 per cent).
We are continuing to work towards widening prisoner access to appropriate learning opportunities: through increased investment, a robust quality improvement strategy, new contracts which put the individual at the centre of the learning process, and the support of newly appointed Heads of Learning and Skills across the prison estate.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on the provision of education facilities in (a) prisons and (b) young offenders institutions in each of the past 10 years. [140653]
Paul Goggins: The following table shows education spend in prisons from 1993–94 to 2002–03.
| Financial year | Education expenditure (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 31.08 |
| 1994–95 | 36.75 |
| 1995–96 | 36.95 |
| 1996–97 | 34.50 |
| 1997–98 | 36.17 |
| 1998–99 | 39.04 |
| 1999–2000 | 40.89 |
| 2000–01 | 41.87 |
| 2001–02 | 52.60 |
| 2002–03 | 59.40 |
These totals do not include additional funding for the Youth Justice Board and curriculum development projects. The 2002–03 total does not include £4.4 million allocated to prisons from the Capital Modernisation Fund to enhance the quality, quantity and relevance of education and training. From April 2003 money for vocational training of £12 million a year transferred to the Department for Education and Skills.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the female receptions into prison has been (a) under sentence and (b) on remand (i) for non-violent offences and (ii) for sentences of six months or less for each of the last 10 years. [141638]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 2 December 2003]: The number of females received under sentence by offence group, for the last 10 years, is given in tables 3.11 and 4.7 of Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002.
The number of females received under sentence by sentence length, for the last 10 years, is given in tables 3.12 and 4.8 of Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002.
The number of females received on remand by offence group, for the last 10 years, is given in table 2.9 of Prison Statistics England and Wales, years 1994 to 2002.
An individual who first enters the remand population and is subsequently received under sentence will be counted in both categories.
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Copies of Prison Statistics England and Wales are available in the Library.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of (a) prisoners and (b) prison staff who are smokers; and what action he is taking to reduce the numbers. [143095]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 9 December 2003]: The information requested is as follows:
- (a) Approximately 80 per cent. of prisoners smoke.
(b) There is no current estimate of the percentage of prison staff that smoke.
Results so far indicate a similar success rate to that which is to be found with such initiatives in the community.
Delivery will be evaluated over the next two years and further development work is ongoing with Strathclyde University.
This year £500,000 has been allocated across all Primary Care Trusts that cater for prisons in their areas. It is planned that such funds will be made available each year through to 2006.
Since 1 July 1996, Prison Governors have been required to comply with the Prison Service Workplace Smoking Policy. The aim of this policy is to ensure that a smoke-free working environment can be enjoyed by everyone.
Smoking is not permitted in any office accommodation, including single occupancy offices and adjacent circulation spaces. Nor is smoking permitted in toilets, lifts and conference rooms.
In prisons, smoking is banned in all visits areas and it is recommended that governors prohibit smoking in all communal areas. In establishing local smoking policies, Governors are encouraged to complement them with the provision of smoking cessation courses for those wishing to give up.
Proceeds of Crime Act
Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value of assets seized by the Metropolitan Police under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 has been in 2003. [142979]
Caroline Flint: The total amount of cash seized by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) under new powers in the Act which came into effect on 30 December 2002 is £7,237,530. Cash seizures are subject to forfeiture proceedings in the magistrates' courts. The value of cash forfeited by the MPS under the new powers in the Act is £602,195.
The confiscation powers in the Act, which are dependent on securing a conviction, are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought
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into force on 24 March 2003. It will, therefore, be some time before such cases are dealt with by the Crown Court in numbers.
Special Immigration Appeals Commission
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account of Scots Law principles is taken by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. [142728]
Mr. Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
The jurisdiction of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission is United Kingdom wide. The Commission takes into account whatever principles of law are drawn to its attention in the appeals before it. In the appeals heard so far no principles peculiar to Scots Law, or to the law of England and Wales, have arisen.
Women Prisoners
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides there were among the female prison population in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003 to date. [140452]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the following table:
| Number of female self-inflicted deaths | |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003(17) | 14 |
| Total | 29 |
(17) to 26 November.
The Prison Service employs the term 'self-inflicted death' rather than 'suicide'. This includes all those deaths where it appears the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life.
The prison population, and particularly the women's estate, contains a large number of prisoners with a combination of factors that raise their risk of suicide. These include psychiatric disorders, a history of self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, relationship problems and previous abuse, and family background problems. Since January 2001, there has been a 34 per cent. increase in the women prisoner population.
A proactive three-year strategy to develop policies and practices to reduce prisoner suicide and manage self-harm in prisons commenced in April 2001. The main principles of the strategy apply across all types of prisons and prisoners whether male or female. An investment of over £21 million through the three-year programme is enabling appropriate physical improvements to be made at six pilot sites, one of which is Eastwood Park prison and young offender institution.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of female prison establishments has the capacity to prescribe medications essential to detoxification in the evenings and at weekends. [141626]
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Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of female prison establishments has the capacity (a) in the evenings and (b) at weekends to prescribe medications essential to detoxification. [142894]
Paul Goggins: All of the seven prison establishments that receive women direct from court have the capacity to prescribe medications essential to detoxification in the evenings and weekends.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of female prison establishments has a psychiatrically qualified doctor on duty (a) during the working day, (b) during the evening and (c) on a 24-hour basis. [141627]
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the female prison establishments have a psychiatrically qualified doctor on duty (a) during the working day, (b) during the evening and (c) on a 24-hour basis. [142893]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available centrally. As part of the programme to implement the commitments to improved mental health services for prisoners in the NHS Plan (2000), the NHS is funding provision of multi-disciplinary mental health in-reach services at 94 establishments during 2003–04, including 11 for women. By 2006 such services will be available to all prison establishments.
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for the current financial year is for (a) mental health care to women prisoners and (b) the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder programme (i) in total and (ii) per capita. [141619]
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated budget is (a) to provide mental health care to women prisoners and (b) for the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder programme (i) in total and (ii) per capita in 2003–04. [142895]
Paul Goggins: Funding for mental health services in prisons is not specifically identified or ring-fenced within prison budgets. "Changing the Outlook, a Strategy for Developing and Modernising Mental Health Services for Prisoners" (December 2001) estimated that around half of the Prison Service's then expenditure on health care was spent on mental health care. In the current financial year total Prison Service expenditure on health services in prisons in England and Wales (excluding the contractually managed prisons) is expected to be around £130 million, including £19 million on establishments holding only female prisoners. In addition, the Department of Health made £903,000 available for NHS mental health in-reach services in 11 women's prisons during 2003–04.
In the current financial year £17.039 million has been allocated to meet the Home Office contribution to the development and running costs of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme. It is, however, too early in the development of this programme to give meaningful per capita costs.
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