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27 Mar 2006 : Column 766W—continued

Prison Officers

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he expects prison officers to play in the effective delivery of case management in the criminal justice system; and if he will make a statement. [57776]

Fiona Mactaggart: Prison Officers will play a large part in the effective delivery of offender management. Although offender managers will be based in the community and will be responsible for offender assessment and sentence planning, the majority of offender supervisors dealing with the custodial part of a sentence will be Prison Officers.

They will be responsible for ensuring the elements of the sentence plan are carried out, for supporting offenders and liaising with those delivering interventions in custody. They will work closely with offender managers in the assessment and planning process. Prison Officers will also be involved in brokering and delivering interventions such as 'Offender Behaviour Programmes', in addition to their general responsibility for promoting a pro-social and positive atmosphere within establishments.

Prisoners

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many prisons inmates routinely eat in their cells; and if he will make a statement. [59197]

 
27 Mar 2006 : Column 767W
 

Fiona Mactaggart: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The arrangements vary in each establishment, sometimes with different arrangements for each meal, and sometimes with different arrangements for different groups of prisoners in the same establishment.

Furthermore, many prisoners choose to eat in their cell where communal eating is an option.

Prisons

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in Coldingley prison have applied for home detention curfews in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; how many of these had their application (a) accepted and (b) rejected; how many appealed against rejection; and how many of these were successful in their appeal. [47404]

Fiona Mactaggart: The attached table provides figures on the number of prisoners who, according to the Prison Service Inmate Information System, have supplied a proposed curfew address for consideration and have been assessed as suitable or been refused HDC at Coldingley prison since 1999 when the scheme began. Information on the reasons for the refusal of individual applications, and the outcome of appeals, could be provided by the prison itself only at disproportionate cost.
Prisoners released on HOC or whose application for HOC was refused: Coldingley prison

	Refused	Granted
1999	8	12
2000	1	9
2001	7	19
2002	2	22
2003	6	24
2004	1	8
2005	3	15

These statistics are based on information recorded on the central prison IT system on 28 February 2006. Further updates and amendments may be made to records on this system resulting in revised figures.

The statistics exclude those prisoners who opted out from the scheme.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of the prison population has access to mental health services, including therapy; [55514]

(2) what estimate he has made of the proportion of the prison population who would benefit from mental health services including therapy; [55516]

(3) what assessment he has made of (a) provision and (b) access to mental health services in the prison system. [55527]

Fiona Mactaggart: The survey, Psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics, 1988) showed that 90 per cent. of prisoners have at least one significant mental health problem, including personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence.
 
27 Mar 2006 : Column 768W
 

The responsibility for the provision of health services, including mental health services, to prisoners in publicly run prisons transferred from the Home Office to the Department of Health in 2003. The Department of Health has in turn devolved funding and responsibility for prison health to national health service primary care trusts, which work in partnerships with prisons to commission and deliver services.

Effective mental health services are central to the Government's programme of improvements in health services for prisoners. Nearly £20 million is being spent on mental health provision in 2005–06. The NHS plan commitment to have over 300 additional staff working in prisons as part of NHS mental health in-reach teams (effectively community mental health teams working within prisons) by April 2004 has been met: there are now 360 such staff in post.

In-reach teams are now operating in 102 prisons. All prisons are expected to have access to mental health in-reach services by this spring. An evaluation of the prison mental health in-reach programme has been undertaken and is due to be delivered shortly. We are currently looking at other aspects of our prison health mental programmes with a view to their assessment.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for theHome Department what the average (a) age and (b) tenure of prison governors at each establishment was in (i) 2005, (ii) 2001, (iii) 1997, (iv) 1992 and (v) 1987; and if he will make a statement. [58646]

Fiona Mactaggart: Information on the average age of prison governors (operational managers)—for each public sector Prison Service establishment in 2005 and 2001 is contained in the following table. The ages of individual governors is not available centrally for governors in post in 1997, 1992 and 1987. The amount of time that governors had spent at their specific establishment in a governor grade is also not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information of this kind is not routinely monitored for contracted prisons, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Average age of operational managers in each public sector prison service establishment

	Average age of operational managers
Establishment	31 December 2001	31 December 2005
Acklington	49 years three months	45 years five months
Albany	48 years eight months	49 years seven months
Ashwell	52 years 10 months	43 years six months
Askham Grange	50 years seven months	44 years three months
Aylesbury	42 years nine months	41 years 11 months
Bedford	43 years two months	46 years nine months
Belmarsh	43 years 11 months	40 years eight months
Birmingham	47 years two months	46 years six months
Blakenhurst	41 years eight months	46 years six months
Blantyre House	47 years nine months	43 years two months
Blundeston	44 years two months	42 years 10 months
Brinsford	45 years eight months	44 years two months
Bristol	44 years nine months	41 years one month
Brixton	49 years six months	42 years 10 months
Brockhill	41 years three months	38 years five months
Buckley Hall	44 years seven months	43 years two months
Bullingdon	45 years three months	42 years four months
Bullwood Hall	44 years one month	41 years nine months
Camp Hill	49 years one month	51 years three months
Canterbury	46 years 0 month	44 years seven months
Cardiff	47 years nine months	45 years three months
Castington	45 years eight months	48 years eight months
Channings Wood	54 years three months	45 years nine months
Chelmsford	44 years five months	42 years three months
Coldingley	46 years five months	40 years 11 months
Cookham Wood	47 years four months	43 years one month
Dartmoor	47 years three months	45 years seven months
Deerbolt	45 years one month	41 years eight months
Dorchester	48 years 0 month	47 years two months
Dover	43 years 10 months	45 years 10 months
Downview	46 years three months	44 years two months
Drake Hall	45 years five months	43 years eight months
Durham	46 years seven months	43 years six months
East Sutton Park	51 years eight months	51 years two months
Eastwood Park	40 years six months	42 years five months
Edmunds Hill	41 years nine months	47 years 10 months
Elmley	45 years eight months	47 years four months
Erlestoke	47 years 10 months	47 years four months
Everthorpe	53 years one month	42 years one month
Exeter	43 years four months	44 years seven months
Featherstone	51 years two months	45 years six months
Feltham	47 years eight months	46 years three months
Ford	52 years one month	47 years three months
Foston Hall	44 years four months	49 years two months
Frankland	47 years nine months	45 years two months
Full Sutton	43 years two months	45 years 11 months
Garth	45 years four months	45 years 0 month
Gartree	40 years six months	47 years nine months
Glen Parva	44 years 0 month	49 years two months
Gloucester	51 years one month	49 years nine months
Grendon	44 years 0 month	46 years two months
Guys Marsh	48 years 10 months	45 years nine months
Haslar	42 years five months	43 years one month
Haverigg	51 years five months	43 years seven months
Hewell Grange	54 years 10 months	43 years one month
High Down	44 years 11 months	42 years 0 month
Highpoint	49 years five months	45 years two months
Hindley	43 years 11 months	44 years one month
Hollesley Bay	48 years nine months	48 years 11 months
Holloway	48 years three months	43 years five months
Holme House	50 years nine months	42 years five months
Hull	44 years three months	46 years 0 month
Huntercombe	46 years one month	40 years 11 months
Kingston	50 years three months	49 years five months
Kirkham	50 years three months	47 years five months
Kirklevington Grange	50 years 0 month	50 years five months
Lancaster	46 years one month	45 years nine months
Lancaster Farms	43 years six months	42 years seven months
Latchmere House	50 years 0 month	42 years nine months
Leeds	47 years eight months	42 years six months
Leicester	42 years three months	45 years 11 months
Lewes	51 years five months	44 years one month
Leyhill	43 years two months	46 years 10 months
Lincoln	48 years 11 months	44 years seven months
Lindholme	44 years seven months	45 years three months
Littlehey	48 years 11 months	46 years six months
Liverpool	48 years three months	47 years 0 month
Long Lartin	44 years one month	44 years eight months
Low Newton	47 years 10 months	44 years five months
Maidstone	41 years two months	50 years one month
Manchester	46 years four months	47 years nine months
Moorland	47 years one month	45 years seven months
Morton Hall	45 years 11 months	46 years 0 month
New Hall	46 years 10 months	41 years 10 months
North Sea Camp	51 years 11 months	49 years 0 month
Northallerton	43 years 10 months	45 years 10 months
Norwich	49 years 11 months	43 years 11 months
Nottingham	43 years 11 months	46 years two months
Onley	43 years 10 months	40 years four months
Parkhurst	48 years 0 month	47 years one month
Pentonville	42 years five months	44 years two months
Portland	47 years 11 months	46 years seven months
Preston	48 years six months	43 years four months
Ranby	49 years seven months	44 years two months
Reading	45 years four months	44 years 10 months
Risley	47 years five months	44 years six months
Rochester	45 years 10 months	45 years two months
Send	46 years two months	51 years three months
Shepton Mallet	47 years six months	50 years 10 months
Shrewsbury	45 years two months	54 years five months
Stafford	47 years three months	44 years five months
Standford Hill	51 years 11 months	43 years two months
Stocken	53 years seven months	49 years four months
Stoke Heath	45 years one month	42 years 0 month
Styal	44 years 10 months	41 years nine months
Sudbury	53 years two months	46 years 0 month
Swaleside	48 years one month	42 years four months
Swansea	52 years six months	52 years seven months
Swinfen Hall	47 years five months	41 years 11 months
The Mount	46 years eight months	39 years six months
The Verne	47 years six months	50 years 10 months
Thorn Cross	53 years nine months	45 years one month
Usk/Prescoed	55 years 11 months	49 years two months
Wakefield	46 years three months	47 years 0 month
Wandsworth	48 years nine months	39 years seven months
Warren Hill	—	50 years four months
Wayland	46 years three months	50 years 0 month
Wealstun	47 years five months	41 years 11 months
Weare	45 years five months	53 years seven months
Wellingborough	44 years six months	42 years 0 month
Werrington	46 years nine months	50 years four months
Wetherby	45 years 0 month	46 years two months
Whatton	45 years 10 months	46 years four months
Whitemoor	45 years 0 month	43 years seven months
Winchester	45 years eight months	41 years 11 months
Woodhill	46 years eight months	43 years two months
Wormwood Scrubs	43 years eight months	43 years 11 months
Wymott	43 years four months	48 years nine months
All Establishments	46 years nine months	44 years 11 months

 
27 Mar 2006 : Column 770W
 

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of trends in (a) the prison population and (b) the women's prison population since 1997. [59302]

Fiona Mactaggart: An assessment of trends in the prison population and female prison population is given in Chapter eight of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. Table 8.1 shows trends in the prison population, by sex, since 1997. This publication is in the House of Commons Library.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the levels of overcrowding were at each prison in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. [59306]

Fiona Mactaggart: A table has been placed in the Library showing the proportion of overcrowding in each prison establishment in England and Wales in each of the last 12 months.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has discussed the joint purchasing of food for the Prison Service with other Government Departments and public sector bodies. [60715]

Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service is an active member of the Food Acquisition Management Initiative Group that aims to explore the potential for more collaborative opportunities in public sector food procurement.

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the potential for further savings in the costs of the provision of food in prisons. [60716]

Fiona Mactaggart: An assessment by the public sector Prison Service has identified the potential for savings in the cost of food supplied to prisons. As a result, a number of initiatives are being introduced, including: the potential
 
27 Mar 2006 : Column 771W
 
for more collaborative procurement; benchmarking expenditure; improved logistical arrangements; greater use of IT; use of bidders conferences at an early stage; increasing competition through a competitive dialogue procedure; more flexible pricing schedules; and rationalisation of the product range.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug tests were carried out in (a) Coldingley, (b) Chelmsford, (c) Elmley, (d) Rochester, (e) Wormwood Scrubs, (f) Holloway and (g) Belmarsh prisons in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many were (i)positive and (ii) negative in each case. [60856]

Fiona Mactaggart: There are three main types of drug testing in prisons: clinical, mandatory and voluntary. Data on clinical and voluntary testing is not held centrally. Figures recorded under the mandatory drug testing programme are as follows; they include results from both random and targeted tests.

Establishment	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06(49)
Coldingley
Tests	496	476	534	579	456
Positive	72	79	99	93	80
Negative	424	397	435	486	376
Chelmsford
Tests	527	457	406	1,040	1,179
Positive	125	132	119	180	197
Negative	402	325	287	860	982
Elmley
Tests	1,510	1,025	880	951	897
Positive	272	189	131	195	105
Negative	1,238	836	749	756	792
Rochester
Tests	410	418	615	755	685
Positive	39	73	77	42	51
Negative	371	345	538	713	634
Wormwood Scrubs
Tests	493	703	795	1,006	727
Positive	93	118	186	256	122
Negative	400	585	609	750	605
Holloway
Tests	576	262	316	409	374
Positive	131	69	75	73	48
Negative	445	193	241	336	326
Belmarsh
Tests	1,076	1,138	666	755	589
Positive	186	174	117	134	85
Negative	890	964	549	621	504

⁽⁴⁹⁾1 April 2005 to 31 January 2006.

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