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5 Jun 2006 : Column 288W—continued
| Unapproved absences from English prisons from 7 February to 24 May 2006 | |
| Prison area | Number of unapproved absences |
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006, Official Report, column 1212W, on Leyhill Open Prison, how many of those prisoners that escaped and have been subsequently detained have (a) been placed in a closed prison and (b) had their sentences extended as a result, broken down by original offence. [73597]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 25 May 2006]: On recapture, prisoners who absconded are invariably returned to closed conditions for re-categorisation and for any investigations into possible criminal activity to be carried out. Absconding is generally treated as a disciplinary offence which is dealt with by an independent adjudicator who may extend the prisoner’s sentence within the boundaries of the sentence left to serve. Data on individual cases are not held centrally.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile phones have been found in each of the prisons in Wales in possession of serving criminals in each of the past five years. [73729]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Mobile telephone finds are not recorded separately on the central database that records incidents. Information on the number of finds has been obtained by examination of textual entries and is listed in the table.
| Mobile telephone finds in prisons in Wales 2000-05 | ||||
| Prison name | ||||
| Cardiff | Swansea | Parc | Prescoed | |
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of prisoners at (a) HM Prison Pentonville and (b) HM Prison Lewes were delayed leaving for court between 27 February and 3 March; and if he will make a statement. [74015]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is as follows.
(a) There were 321 prisoners discharged to court from Her Majesty’s Prison Pentonville between 27 February and 3 March. The discharge of 29 per cent. of these prisoners was delayed by 15 minutes or more.
(b) There were 43 prisoners discharged to court from Her Majesty’s Prison Lewes between 27 February and 3 March. There were no delays.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of security clearance is required for (a) prison officers and (b) serving police officers; and if he will make a statement. [74022]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Prior to appointment as a prison officer, checks are conducted on an individual’s identity, personal and employment references and criminal record history. Officers working in the High Security Estate are also subject to National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) level. In posts where prison officers have regular contact with juveniles a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check is also undertaken.
Before appointment as a police officer, criminal record checks are carried out on an applicant and their family. Employment and education history are checked and references obtained. Local intelligence checks, financial vetting and security vetting are also carried out. All police officers are CTC checked.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Category A prisoners had their status downgraded in the weeks prior to their trial in each year from 2000 to 2005. [74550]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information about numbers category A prisoners on remand who have their provisional categorisation downgraded in the weeks prior to their trial is not recorded centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost. Prisoners are categorised according to the risk they present, and prisoners’ security category is assessed, decided, and kept under review in the light of all available information.
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets his Department has set for the (a) maximum and (b) minimum time taken by prisoners to travel between courts and prisons. [74552]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There are no targets set for the maximum or minimum length of journey times between prisons and court. The contract sets agreed delivery times to court.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have escaped from prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years, broken down by prison. [74563]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Data on escapes from prisons in England and Wales are given in the following table. Prisons that have had no escapes in the last 10 years have been excluded from the table. Data about escapes from prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland are available from the Scottish Executive and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.
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