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9 Oct 2006 : Column 520W—continued
Mr. Sutcliffe:
No records are kept centrally of the number of women entering prison with drug, alcohol and mental health problems. Epidemiological studies however, show that: (a) around 39 per cent. of sentenced women are classified as hazardous drinkers; (b) for women on remand, 7 per cent. reported moderate drug dependence and 47 per cent. reported severe dependence; (c) 90 per cent. of prisoners had at least one mental health disorder with 14 per cent. possessing severe disorders; and (d) of women classed as hazardous drinkers, 77 per cent. had two or more mental disorders. For those assessed as drug dependent the equivalent figure was 75 per cent. There is limited
information available on the proportion of women receiving interventions: records are not available centrally to show what proportion of women have had
interventions to address the misuse of alcohol. Information on the number of drug treatment interventions is given in the table.
| Women only establishments | Clinical interventions | CARATS( 1) assessments | Drug treatment programme starts | Drug treatment programme completions | VDT (compacts agreed) |
| (1) Counselling, assessment, referral, throughcare and treatment service. | |||||
Records are not available centrally to show what proportion of women on release have had interventions to address mental health problems.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average weekly cost was of detaining (a) males and (b) females in prison (i) on remand awaiting trial and (ii) after sentence in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [89443]
Mr. Sutcliffe: HM Prison Service does not collect cost data in the format requested. Costs are collected at each individual establishment and across the prison estate and do not distinguish between sentenced and remand prisoners.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2006, Official Report, column 414W, on prisons, which category of information requested would have incurred most cost to provide; and what information is held centrally on the number of prisoners released on licence from prisons. [89855]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The National Probation Service does not collate centrally information on the prisons from which offenders under supervision were released. The greatest costs in obtaining the information requested would have been incurred in requesting probation areas to examine all their case files and systems to determine which offenders had been released from prisons on the Isle of Wight to supervision on licence in their areas and had subsequently absconded while still under supervision on licence.
Information is held centrally on the number of offenders under post-release supervision on licence. The figures are published in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics. Information is also held centrally on the number of offenders on licence in each probation area.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is provided to prison officers promoted to senior officer rank; whether any changes are planned; and if he will make a statement. [89967]
Mr. Sutcliffe: On promotion to senior officer (SO) rank, staff are invited to undertake the Introductory Certificate in Management. This programme is externally accredited through the Institute of Leadership and Management, and is specifically designed to meet the changing role of first line managers. SOs also undertake operational training to support their development in meeting the needs of their establishment and the Prison Service. All programmes are continually evaluated to ensure fitness for purpose. No imminent changes are proposed.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many non-prison staff participate in prison service audits; and if he will make a statement; [89968]
(2) how many members of staff are employed in the Prison Service Standards Audit Unit; how many were so employed in 2001; and whether further recruitment is planned. [89969]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Specialist auditors employed by the Home Office conduct health and safety audits. Although only one auditor attends each audit, they are drawn from a pool of eight staff.
There are currently 33 members of staff employed in the Prison Service standards audit unit. In 2001, 37 members of staff were employed in the unit.
There are currently three vacancies and it is hoped that these will be filled shortly.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many high risk prisoners there are, as defined by the cell sharing risk assessment, in each prison establishment; and if he will make a statement. [90028]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on enhanced thinking skills courses by the Prison Service in each region in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [90029]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The actual spend for the delivery of the enhanced thinking skills programme cannot be disaggregated from establishment baselines. However, the following table gives estimated figures based on delivery in prisons by region in the last three years, the period for which information is available. Spend between regions will vary depending on factors such as the volume of delivery, the delivery of other programmes, and the number of establishments.
| Spend on enhanced thinking skills programmes in prisons by region 2003-06 | |||
| £000 | |||
| Region | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of staff claimed to have been bullied at work in each of the two most recent surveys of staff in HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [90030]
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Prison Service has a written policy on bullying in the workplace. [90031]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The proportion of staff who stated they had been bullied at work in the 2004 and 2005 public sector Prison Service staff survey is shown in the following table.
The results from each survey are considered by the Prison Service Management Board and disseminated to staff. Governors are responsible for developing and implementing a local action plan.
Chapter 9 (Harassment and Discrimination Procedures) of Prison Service Order 8010 on equal opportunities sets out Prison Service policy on managing and dealing with bullying in the workplace. The Service's Professional Standards Statement makes it clear that discrimination, harassment, victimisation and bullying of any kind will not be tolerated.
| Staff who had experienced bullying in the 12 months prior to the survey | |
| Percentage | |
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the contents of the Tasker investigation commissioned by the Prison Service London area office will be made available to (a) prison officers and (b) former prison officers who have made allegations of bullying in the Prison Service. [90032]
Mr. Sutcliffe: It is not standard practice for the Prison Service to publish internal investigations. However, if requests are made for the report to be disclosed they will be considered in accordance with the Data Protection 1998, the Data Protection Code of Practice and the Freedom of Information Act relating to the handling and protection of personal data. The Commissioning Authority will determine whether a redacted or full copy of the report can be disclosed.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the award of required hours addition allowance payments to non-operational staff by the Prison Service Area Manager for London constitutes a breach of PSO 1215 on staff wrongdoings; and if he will make a statement; [90040]
(2) what the reasons are for non-operational grades in the Prison Service receiving required hours addition allowance payments; and if he will make a statement. [90041]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Prison Service staff are expected to meet high standards of professional and personal conduct as set out in PSO 1215.
It is for area managers or governors to consider whether the role of non-operational staff in the Prison Service requires unpredictable and unsocial hours working. Where necessary, the award of required hours addition in such circumstances would not be considered a breach of PSO 1215.
A Required Hours Addition (RHA) is paid in the Prison Service for jobs in manager paybands E, F, or G, whether operational or non-operational, where the role requires unpredictable and unsocial working hours. Reasons for the payment being made include a role where there is a requirement:
for regular work outside usual office hours;
to be on-call from time to time; and
to work hours necessary for the efficient performance of duties.
Area managers or governors may decide whether a role requires unpredictable and unsocial hours working which should attract the allowance.
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Prison Service National Security Framework recommends regarding the sex of staff to be present in the search of an inmate receiving gender re-alignment treatment; what procedures exist for the inmate to object or make representations; and if he will make a statement. [90042]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Prisoners undergoing gender reassignment treatment will normally be searched in accordance with their gender choice. Female prisoners are rub down searched by female officers and officers of either sex may rub down search males; an officer of the same gender as the prisoner will conduct a full search. Governors can authorise changes to these guidelines where necessary and agreed by prisoner and staff.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are on licence from prisons in England and Wales. [90125]
Mr. Sutcliffe: At 31 December 2005 there were 25,271 people being supervised on licence by the probation service following their release from prison.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level.
Prisons (Northern Ireland)
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to locate new prison facilities in Northern Ireland; and where they will be located. [89742]
Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has developed a comprehensive estate strategy that has identified the need for a second adult male prison offering modern efficient dispersal facilities to supplement the existing prison at Maghaberry.
In September 2005 the Government announced that Magilligan Prison would be replaced, either on the existing site or on another suitable site in Northern Ireland. No decision has yet been made on the location.
Proscribed Organisations
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additions have been made to the List of Proscribed Organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000 since the enactment of that Act; and what the reason was for each addition. [89694]
Mr. McNulty: A total of 42 international terrorist groups, two domestic groups and 14 Irish groups are currently proscribed. There have been four orders to date. The first, proscribing 21 international organisations became effective in March 2001. The second, adding four more organisations, was in November 2002 after the bombings in Bali. The third was in October 2005, adding another 15 organisations to the list. The most recent order came into force on 26 July 2006 and added two organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000 and two organisations under powers introduced in the Terrorism Act 2006 for glorifying terrorism. The Irish groups were proscribed under the previous emergency legislation. A full list of proscribed organisations can be found at:
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