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Prisons
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether penalties are imposed on contracted out prisons for exceeding overcrowding limits. [202997]
Paul Goggins: Each of the nine contracts for prisons managed by the private sector under the private finance initiative contain provision for penalising the contractor financially if the agreed overcrowding limit is exceeded. The contracts for two further prisons, HMP Doncaster and HMP Wolds, which are operated by the private sector following a market test, do not contain this provision.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the governor of each prison is; how old each will be on 1 January 2005; on what date each joined the Prison Service; how long each has been a governor; and when each is expected to retire. [203723]
Paul Goggins: The names of governors in public sector prisons, their length of service as governing governor and their start date with the Prison Service is contained in the following table. Staffing information for privately managed prisons is considered commercial in confidence and is therefore not included. The information requested about age and retirement is considered personal information and could only be provided with the consent of the individuals concerned.
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Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were held in prison awaiting deportation at 1 December, broken down by (a) those who have been awaiting deportation for (i) one week, (ii) two to four weeks, (iii) four to eight weeks, (iv) eight to 12 weeks and (v) more than 12 weeks and (b) nationality. [203734]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 13 December 2004]: Information on the number of people who were detained in prison establishments awaiting deportation after completion of a criminal sentence is not available.
Work is on-going to improve the quality of data held on those people detained under Immigration Act powers in Prison Service establishments.
Sandra Gidley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used when making the decision to allow advertisements in Prison
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Catering by HM Prison Service; what revenue was raised from advertising in the last issue; and what the total cost was of the publication of that issue. [203893]
Paul Goggins: The "Prison Catering' magazine was a partnership arrangement between the Prison Service and Cost Sector Catering magazine published by Dewberry Boyes. The magazine was published and distributed in support of the Prison Services national catering workshop. The aim was to promote, to a wider public sector audience, some of the work and challenges being taken forward and tackled within Prison Service catering.
The criteria for advertisements set by the Prison Service required all advertisers to either hold a government contract or deliver to a government contract. Publication of the magazine was at no cost to the public purse and no income was generated for the
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Prison Service. The cost of the publication was borne by the publishers who also received the revenue raised from advertising. In addition to the publication Dewberry Boyes also organised the workshop venue.
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many London prisons have a visitor centre that provides child care facilities; and if he will make a statement. [204100]
Paul Goggins: Supervised child care facilities are provided in the main visits area at Belmarsh, Holloway, Pentonville and Wormwood Scrubs. Wandsworth provides seating in booths where prisoners, their partners and children can enjoy a visit in an area that has been specially designed to meet the needs of young children. The feasibility of providing a crèche is under consideration at Feltham.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for taking the final decision on the location for the building of new prisons. [204421]
Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State for the Home Department makes the final decision on the location of new prisons, subject to the planning process.
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year for which figures are available an individual in the (a) Prison Service, (b) Probation Service and (c) Metropolitan Police has been suspended for dishonestly claiming an allowance; and how many were reinstated after repaying the money. [204424]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 13 December 2004]: From the information held centrally by the Prison Service, no member of staff has been suspended for dishonestly claiming an allowance. For the National Probation Service, this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
In the Metropolitan Police, and from information available, one member of staff has been dismissed and has not been reinstated. Additionally one has also been reprimanded in relation to dishonestly claiming non police allowances.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) why the Prison Service did not accept the recommendation of the review of the installation of sprinklers that sprinklers should be installed in all prisons and detention centres; [199794]
(2) what criteria are used to decide whether sprinkler equipment should be installed in prisons and detention centres; [199791]
(3) if he will estimate (a) how long it would take and (b) how much it would cost to install sprinkler equipment in all prisons and detention centres; [199798]
(4) how many prisons are fitted with sprinkler equipment; and which areas of each prison are protected by the sprinkler system. [199790]
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Paul Goggins: The only formal review that the Prison Service is aware of relating to sprinklers was in respect of Immigration Centres. In the light of this review the Prison Service undertook technical assessments and testing of non-ligature secure sprinkler heads, as part of a continuing review of fire safety in the prison estate. No conclusions have yet been reached.
An independent Fire Safety Survey and Review is currently being undertaken on behalf of the Prison Service by the Building Research Establishment (Fire) across the prison estate (public and private) which will include an assessment of the suitability, or otherwise, of sprinkler systems and other appropriate fire detection/management systems.
The cost and time to install sprinklers is dependent upon the availability of the cell areas in which sprinklers would be installed. An initial Prison Service estimate of the cost to provide sprinklers is in excess of £125 million, Owing to population pressures and the need for major decanting and relocation of prisoners to facilitate a national installation programme installation would take many years, possibly several decades.
The Weare (a floating facility with shore facilities) is the only prison establishment fitted with sprinklers in accommodation areas. Many other establishments have sprinkler systems installed in high-risk areas, which include parts of kitchens and parts of workshops.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there were in each prison establishment for (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff as at 1 November. [199558]
Paul Goggins: The most recent information on staff vacancies against operational staffing requirement is at 30 September 2004. For each public sector prison establishment this is contained in the following table. The figures represent a snapshot of staffing at establishment level and do not take into account new staff who were still in the recruitment process on 30 September.
(100) Figures do not take into account all new staff who were still in the recruitment at 30 September 2004
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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for private companies who run prisons in England and Wales to be given additional responsibilities, including enhanced disciplinary powers. [204891]
Paul Goggins: In the Management of Offenders and Sentencing Bill we are proposing to transfer to directors of private prisons additional powers concerning the segregation, control and punishment of prisoners.
We also propose minor changes to the search and detention powers of a Prison Custody Officer, giving them broadly equivalent powers to public sector prison officers.
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