25 Feb 2004 : Column 458W—continued
Prisons
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the prison health care centre in Liverpool has entered into a commercial cleaning contract. [155248]
Paul Goggins:
There is no commercial contract for cleaning in the health care centre at Liverpool prison.
Mr. Oaten:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many suicides there have been in safe cells in each of the last two years; [151687]
(2) what estimate he has made of the average costs of a suicide in prison; [151688]
(3) what plans he has to change the design of safe cell units; [151689]
(4) what consultatons his Department has had with suppliers of safe cell units. [151691]
Paul Goggins:
Safer cells have several design features which can assist staff in the task of managing those at risk from suicide, such as specially designed furniture and fixtures which are manufactured and installed to make the attachment of ligatures very difficult, and access to window bars prevented via non-opening windows with integral ventilation grills. Realistically, no cell can be considered totally 'safe' and the Prison Service's preferred terminology is 'safer cell.' Safer cells can complement (but not replace) a regime providing care for at risk prisoners.
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. In 2002, of the 95 self-inflicted deaths in prisons, four occurred in safer cells. In 2003, of the 94 self-inflicted deaths in prisons, three occurred in safer cells. In 2004 to date (28 January), of the 10 self-inflicted deaths in prison, one has occurred in a safer cell.
25 Feb 2004 : Column 459W
An independent evaluation of safer cells, carried out by the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science in 2003, including interviews with prisoners and staff, revealed that the ventilation design in safer cells may require revision. Otherwise, the Institute concluded that the safer cells programme has much to commend it, and recommended that the programme continue. Three prisoners stated to evaluators that being in a safer cell had prevented them from killing themselves.
The Prison Service is already looking into alternative safer ventilator designs to meet the report's finding. In those cases where ligature points have been identified in particular types of safer cells, remedial action has been taken and guidance issued to prisons. Also, funding has been agreed to progress the design and production of second generation safer cell furniture, building on the original safer cell furniture design, and by using mass production techniques reducing costs and enhancing robustness.
The competition for the framework agreement for the supply and installation of safer cell furniture was procured under European Union rules. A notice was issued in the Official Journal of the European Community in June 2001. Nine companies responded to the Notice, and five were subsequently short-listed to receive the tender documentation. Tenderers' responses were evaluated, both commercially and technically to see which offered overall best value for money, three companies being awarded the framework agreement. Those companies were: MT Hogjaard, Premier Custodial Group Ltd. and Newcastle Joinery Ltd. Premier Custodial Group Ltd. have subsequently withdrawn from the framework. The framework agreement was for a period of twelve months commencing on 23 January 2003. The framework
25 Feb 2004 : Column 460W
agreement has been extended for six months and is now due to expire 23 July 2004. The Authority does have the right under the Agreement to extend the framework for a further two periods of three months each.
The total cost of a self-inflicted death in prison is £132,660.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners escaped from prisons in each of the past six years, broken down by (a) date, (b) category of offender and (c) prison; and on what date each was recaptured. [154121]
Paul Goggins:
The following tables list the information requested for the past five financial years, and so far in the current year. Escapes where the prisoner was recaptured within 15 minutes are not included. The security categories are A, B, C or D for adult male prisoners; A, closed or open for female prisoners and Restricted Status, closed or open for young offenders.
Unsentenced prisoners are not security categorised and are termed Unclassified. Escapes can take place only from closed establishments; an escape from an open prison is counted as an abscond. There have been no category A or YO restricted status escapes since 1995.
Table 1: Numbers of escapes
| Year | Number of escapes from prisons
|
|---|
| 1998–99 | 28
|
| 1999–2000 | 30
|
| 2000–01 | 10
|
| 2001–02 | 15
|
| 2002–03 | 5
|
| 2003–04 | 10
|
Table 2: Details of escapes
| Establishment | Security Category ofPrisoner | Date of Escape | Date of Recapture
|
|---|
| Guys Marsh | C | 5 May 1998 | 5 May 1998
|
| Guys Marsh | C | 5 May 1998 | 5 May 1998
|
| Altcourse | Unclassified | 21 May 1998 | 21 May 1998
|
| Werrington | YO closed | 25 May 1998 | 29 May 1998
|
| Werrington | YO closed | 25 May 1998 | 25 May 1998
|
| Werrington | YO closed | 25 May 1998 | 25 May 1998
|
| Werrington | YO closed | 25 May 1998 | 25 May 1998
|
| Werrington | YO closed | 25 May 1998 | 30 May 1998
|
| Aldington | C | 14 June 1998 | 21 August 1998
|
| Featherstone | C | 19 July 1998 | 20 July 1998
|
| Lindholme | C | 2 September 1998 | 7 September 1998
|
| Eastwood Park | Female closed | 23 September 1998 | 23 September 1998
|
| Everthorpe | C | 26 September 1998 | 1 October 1998
|
| Deerbolt | YO closed | 26 October 1998 | 30 October 1998
|
| Deerbolt | YO closed | 26 October 1998 | 26 November 1998
|
| Glen Parva | YO closed | 5 November 1998 | 27 November 1998
|
| Glen Parva | YO closed | 5 November 1998 | 12 November 1998
|
| Pentonville | C | 26 November 1998 | 26 November 1998
|
| Castington | YO closed | 20 December 1998 | 21 December 1998
|
| Castington | YO closed | 20 December 1998 | 21 December 1998
|
| Littlehey | C | 30 December 1998 | 30 December 1998
|
| Wormwood Scrubs | Unclassified | 31 January 1999 | Not recaptured
|
| Featherstone | C | 7 February 1999 | 13 November 1999
|
| Featherstone | C | 7 February 1999 | 30 April 1999
|
| Featherstone | C | 7 February 1999 | 27 October 1999
|
| Feltham | YO closed | 27 February 1999 | 17 March 1999
|
| Lincoln | C | 10 March 1999 | 19 March 1999
|
| Dover | YO closed | 25 March 1999 | 13 April 1999
|
| Featherstone | C | 1 April 1999 | 12 April 1999
|
| Thorn Cross | YO closed | 23 May 1999 | 23 May 1999
|
| Huntercombe | YO closed | 24 May 1999 | 24 May 1999
|
| Risley | C | 29 May 1999 | 29 May 1999
|
| Parc | Unclassified | 23 June 1999 | 23 June 1999
|
| The Mount | C | 26 June 1999 | 24 December 1999
|
| Rochester | YO closed | 19 July 1999 | 20 July 1999
|
| Rochester | YO closed | 19 July 1999 | 20 July 1999
|
| Rochester | YO closed | 19 July 1999 | 3 August 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 August 1999 | 13 August 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 August 1999 | 15 March 2000
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 August 1999 | 4 September 1999
|
| Styal | Female closed | 8 August 1999 | 8 September 1999
|
| Styal | Female closed | 8 August 1999 | 12 August 1999
|
| Styal | Female closed | 8 August 1999 | 15 August 1999
|
| Styal | Female closed | 8 August 1999 | 14 August 1999
|
| Liverpool | Unclassified | 8 August 1999 | 9 September 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 23 September 1999 | 23 June 2000
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 October 1999 | 12 October 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 October 1999 | 14 October 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 October 1999 | 14 October 1999
|
| Lindholme | C | 7 October 1999 | 14 October 1999
|
| Haverigg | C | 21 November 1999 | 21 November 1999
|
| Stocken | C | 12 November 1999 | 29 November 1999
|
| Littlehey | C | 26 November 1999 | Not recaptured
|
| Hollesley Bay | YO closed | 1 March 2000 | 1 March 2000
|
| Hollesley Bay | YO closed | 1 March 2000 | 1 March 2000
|
| Hollesley Bay | YO closed | 1 March 2000 | 1 March 2000
|
| Deerbolt | YO closed | 12 March 2000 | 12 March 2000
|
| Deerbolt | YO closed | 12 March 2000 | 12 March 2000
|
| Guys Marsh | C | 22 June 2000 | 19 September 2000
|
| Erlestoke | C | 23 July 2000 | 23 July 2000
|
| Blantyre House | C | 30 August 2000 | 22 August 2002
|
| Portland | YO closed | 1 October 2000 | 1 October 2000
|
| Risley | C | 16 November 2000 | 6 February 2001
|
| Brinsford | YO closed | 29 December 2000 | 7 August 2001
|
| Downview | D | 5 January 2001 | 19 January 2001
|
| Kirklevington | C | 10 January 2001 | 7 February 2001
|
| Lancaster Castle | C | 14 January 2001 | 14 January 2001
|
| Lancaster Castle | C | 14 January 2001 | 14 January 2001
|
| Guys Marsh | C | 3 July 2001 | 24 July 2001
|
| Guys Marsh | C | 3 July 2001 | 9 July 2001
|
| Guys Marsh | C | 3 July 2001 | 24 July 2001
|
| Feltham | YO closed | 29 July 2001 | 14 September 2001
|
| Wealstun | C | 14 August 2001 | 11 October 2001
|
| Grendon | B | 30 September 2001 | 30 September 2001
|
| Grendon | B | 30 September 2001 | 1 October 2001
|
| Grendon | C | 30 September 2001 | 1 October 2001
|
| Doncaster | Unclassified | 8 November 2001 | 9 January 2001
|
| Winchester | B | 10 December 2001 | 15 December 2001
|
| Erlestoke | C | 30 January 2002 | 2 February 2002
|
| The Verne | C | 7 February 2002 | 14 March 2002
|
| Norwich | Unclassified | 14 February 2002 | 16 February 2002
|
| Rye Hill | B | 18 March 2002 | 19 March 2002
|
| Rye Hill | B | 18 March 2002 | 26 March 2002
|
| Brixton | Unclassified | 30 June 2002 | Not recaptured
|
| Norwich | C | 18 July 2002 | 31 July 2002
|
| Cardiff | Unclassified | 10 November 2002 | 12 December 2002
|
| Littlehey | C | 13 November 2002 | 20 November 2002
|
| Weare | C | 9 February 2003 | 19 February 2003
|
| Brinsford | YO closed | 26 May 2003 | 28 May 2003
|
| Brinsford | YO closed | 26 May 2003 | 26 May 2003
|
| Brinsford | YO closed | 26 May 2003 | 26 May 2003
|
| Brinsford | YO closed | 26 May 2003 | 26 May 2003
|
| Dartmoor | C | 16 June 2003 | 22 June 2003
|
| Dartmoor | C | 16 June 2003 | 9 July 2003
|
| Lindholme | C | 23 July 2003 | 27 July 2003
|
| Bullingdon | C | 8 August 2003 | 26 August 2003
|
| Parc | Unclassified | 10 October 2003 | Not recaptured
|
| Leicester | Unclassified | 8 December 2003 | 9 December 2003
|
25 Feb 2004 : Column 463W
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by prison the number of out-of-cell hours that prisoners are permitted. [152709]
Paul Goggins:
The average number of daily hours that prisoners have spent out of their cells on weekdays and weekends during the financial year to the end of December is given in the table.
| Establishment | Weekdays | Weekends
|
|---|
| Acklington | 10.4 | 9.2
|
| Albany | 10.0 | 7.4
|
| Altcourse | 13.0 | 13.0
|
| Ashfield | 10.0 | 9.3
|
| Ashwell | 15.5 | 15.5
|
| Askham Grange | 16.0 | 16.0
|
| Aylesbury | 8.7 | 6.2
|
| Bedford | 7.9 | 5.7
|
| Belmarsh | 8.6 | 4.4
|
| Birmingham | 7.6 | 6.9
|
| Blakenhurst | 7.9 | 7.5
|
| Blantyre House | 15.3 | 15.3
|
| Blundeston | 10.1 | 7.4
|
| Brinsford | 8.7 | 6.3
|
| Bristol | 8.0 | 6.0
|
| Brixton | 4.5 | 3.6
|
| Brockhill | 8.7 | 7.1
|
| Buckley Hall | 13.4 | 13.1
|
| Bullingdon | 10.2 | .6.4
|
| Bullwood Hall | 11.1 | 7.3
|
| Camp Hill | 10.7 | 8.5
|
| Canterbury | 7.5 | 7.1
|
| Cardiff | 9.1 | 5.9
|
| Castington | 7.7 | 5.3
|
| Channings Wood | 9.8 | 6.9
|
| Chelmsford | 9.7 | 7.3
|
| Coldingley | 12.5 | 10.0
|
| Cookham Wood | 7.7 | 7.5
|
| Dartmoor | 9.3 | 7.0
|
| Deerbolt | 9.1 | 5.4
|
| Doncaster | 11.3 | 11.3
|
| Dorchester | 11.6 | 10.6
|
| Dovegate | 12.6 | 11.2
|
| Dover | 12.0 | 11.9
|
| Downview | 10.6 | 9.3
|
| Drake Hall | 16.0 | 16.0
|
| Durham | 9.8 | 4.7
|
| East Sutton Park | 15.1 | 17.0
|
| Eastwood Park | 10.7 | 8.3
|
| Edmunds Hill | 9.5 | 9.5
|
| Elmley | 8.6 | 7.7
|
| Erlestoke | 11.0 | 10.0
|
| Everthorpe | 11.1 | 8.8
|
| Exeter | 8.5 | 7.5
|
| Featherstone | 8.2 | 10.1
|
| Feltham | 6.9 | 9.5
|
| Ford | 13.3 | 13.3
|
| Forest Bank | 12.4 | 7.7
|
| Foston Hall | 10.5 | 9.1
|
| Frankland | 9.3 | 7.0
|
| Full Sutton | 9.5 | 7.5
|
| Garth | 10.0 | 7.5
|
| Gartree | 10.0 | 7.3
|
| Glen Parva | 7.0 | 3.5
|
| Gloucester | 6.8 | 5.0
|
| Grendon | 14.0 | 11.7
|
| Guys Marsh | 8.2 | 7.4
|
| Haslar | 11.2 | 10.4
|
| Haverigg | 11.9 | 11.9
|
| Hewell Grange | 24.0 | 24.0
|
| High Down | 6.2 | 4.4
|
| Highpoint | 10.0 | 7.5
|
| Hindley | io.q | 8.9
|
| Hollesley Bay | 15.5 | 15.5
|
| Holloway | 7.1 | 6.4
|
| Holme House | 5.4 | 4.9
|
| Hull | 5.6 | 5.2
|
| Huntercombe | 9.9 | 8.6
|
| Kingston | 12.1 | 7.7
|
| Kirkham | 13.5 | 13.0
|
| Kirklevington | 19.0 | 19.0
|
| Lancaster | 10.0 | 7.5
|
| Lancaster Farms | 9.9 | 8.6
|
| Latchmere House | 19.0 | 19.0
|
| Leeds | 8.7 | 8.0
|
| Leicester | 9.3 | 6.5
|
| Lewes | 7.5 | 6.5
|
| Leyhill | 16.01 | 16.0
|
| Lincoln | 6.2 | 1.3
|
| Lindholme | 11.0 | 7.8
|
| Littlehey | 9.1 | 8.6
|
| Liverpool | 7.1 | 5.4
|
| Long Lartin | 9.2 | 9.2
|
| Low Newton | 10.5 | 8.4
|
| Lowdham Grange | 12.8 | 12.8
|
| Maidstone | 8.8 | 6.6
|
| Manchester | 10.8 | 8.5
|
| Moorland | 11.4 | 5.1
|
| Morton Hall | 15.0 | 15.0
|
| Mount | 8.4 | 6.7
|
| New Hall | 11.0 | 9.3
|
| North Sea Camp | 21.6 | 21.6
|
| Northallerton | 8.3 | 6.4
|
| Norwich | 8.4 | 6.6
|
| Nottingham | 7.8 | 5.0
|
| Onley | 8.3 | 7.6
|
| Parc | 9.8 | 10.0
|
| Parkhurst | 8.9 | 6.8
|
| Pentonville | 7.6 | 7.0
|
| Portland | 8.2 | 5.6
|
| Preston | 8.2 | 6.5
|
| Ranby | 9.9 | 9.1
|
| Reading | 7.9 | 6.6
|
| Risley | 10.5 | 10.1
|
| Rochester | 6.7 | 6.5
|
| Rye Hill | 11.7 | 11.6
|
| Send | 12.9 | 12.9
|
| Shepton Mallet | 10.5 | 9.1
|
| Shrewsbury | 9.4 | 17.1
|
| Stafford | 9.6 | 4.8
|
| Standford Hill | 12.0 | 12.0
|
| Stocken | 10.8 | 6.2
|
| Stoke Heath | 10.3 | 10.1
|
| Styal | 11.6 | 11.4
|
| Sudbury | 20.7 | 20.7
|
| Swaleside | 9.8 | 7.3
|
| Swansea. | 8.9 | 8.6
|
| Swinfen Hall | 10.4 | 6.8
|
| Thorn Cross | 12.5 | 15.3
|
| Usk·Prescoed | 14.5 | 13.4
|
| Verne | 16.0 | 16.0
|
| Wakefield | 9.0 | 6.5
|
| Wandsworth | 6.0 | 3.9
|
| Warren Hill | 10.3 | 9.0
|
| Wayland | 10.3 | 8.8
|
| Wealstun | 12.0 | 12.0
|
| Weare | 9.7 | 8.9
|
| Wellingborough | 9.8 | 8.0
|
| Werrington | 11.0 | 9.7
|
| Wetherby | 9.8 | 6.1
|
| Whatton | 12.0 | 9.2
|
| Whitemoor | 9.7 | 7.5
|
| Winchester | 8.8 | 6.5
|
| Wolds | 12.6 | 10.4
|
| Woodhill | 8.9 | 7.5
|
| Wormwood Scrubs | 7.1 | 5.4
|
| Wymott | 10.7 | 10.1
|
25 Feb 2004 : Column 465W
