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22 May 2006 : Column 1534W—continued
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance (a) Ministers, (b) departmental officials and (c) the Prison Service have issued over the last 12 months regarding the role of the police in investigating the supply of contraband within the prison estate; on what date the guidance was issued; and if he will make a statement. [48423]
Mr. Sutcliffe: On 6 December 2005, the Director of Operations wrote to all governing governors of public sector prisons, reminding them that the police must be contacted whenever visitors or staff were found in possession of classified drugs. Where governors believed that referral to the police was not appropriate, the case had to be considered by a director at Prison Service headquarters.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prison governors have faced investigation into drugs-related offences at each establishment in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [48431]
(2) how many prison officers at each prison establishment have been investigated for drugs-related offences in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [48499]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested was not held in a form that enables a distinction between grade or by year. Investigations are registered under the main category of offence being investigated. Between 1 July 2000 and 1 February 2006, there were three investigations registered under significant drug find and 82 under trafficking.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the provision of visitors' facilities at adult prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales; and what the Prison Service budget is for such provision. [55076]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government recognise the importance of family and community ties to resettlement and the wider reducing reoffending strategy. Contact between prisoners and their friends and families is supported in a number of ways.
Facilities for visitors vary across the prison estate, depending on the location and type of prison. They include visitors’ centres, play areas in visitors’ centres and visits halls, family and children’s visits, and family contact workers. The specific provision at each establishment, including financing, is a matter for individual governors.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) chaplains, (ii) rabbis, (iii) imams and (iv) clerics of other religions are employed by the Prison Service in England and Wales. [55077]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table details the number of directly employed chaplains within the public sector Prison Service and is broken down by the religion of the chaplain. There are no directly employed rabbis recorded as Jewish. In addition to directly employed chaplains, a large number of chaplains also work for the Prison Service on a sessional (fee paid) basis but the numbers are not recorded centrally.
| Number of directly employed chaplains within the public sector Prison Service | |||
| Denomination | Full-time | Part-time | Total |
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department is making available for building new prisons to replace ageing buildings in the prison estate. [55481]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to my answer published in Hansard on 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 581.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the need for step-down facilities at HM Prison Grendon for prisoners who have completed their course; and what steps are being taken by his Department to increase access and funding for step-down facilities at the prison. [55491]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Following a recommendation in her most recent inspection report, the Chief Inspector made a recommendation that there should be specific planning to assist prisoners at Grendon reintegrate into the mainstream prison system, including follow-up support for prisoners after they move to other prisons.
A review was completed, and such an initiative would be welcome, but funding is not currently available.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the proportion of prisons that keep food premises (a) clean, (b) pest free and (c) in good repair. [60719]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Catering standards in prisons are audited by the Service's Standard Audit Unit on a two-year cycle. In 2005-06, 16 per cent. of audits against the baseline for food premises being clean, pest free and in good repair, were fully compliant. A further 44 per cent. of audits during the same period show that minor action was needed to fully meet the requirements. Action plans are agreed to correct all deficiencies identified following each audit.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of transfers of inmates between prison establishments for each year since 1997, broken down by prison establishment. [62135]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Figures on the transfer of prisoners between establishments have been centrally recorded since 2003. Details of transfers in the last three years are set out in the following table.
| Prisoner transfers by prison and year | |||
| Transfers out | |||
| Prisons | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
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