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27 Feb 2007 : Column 1213W—continued
The numbers of people held in police cells on a daily basis is available for use as management Notion only. Prison portion figures are population was 79,537, including 57 held in Police Cells as part of operation safeguard.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were housed in police cells during the recent activation of Operation Safeguard; and if he will make a statement. [123469]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Between 12 October and 22 December 2006, Operation Safeguard was used on 4,617 occasions. This does not correspond precisely to the number of prisoners: one occasion means one prisoner night in a police cell.
Operation Safeguard was reactivated on 22 January 2007. It was previously implemented on 12 October 2006 and formally ended on 22 December.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been held in accommodation provided by each police authority in England and Wales under Operation Safeguard since June 2006; how many such nights' accommodation was provided by each police authority; and what the average cost of providing accommodation was per prisoner per night in each police authority. [121941]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Operation Safeguard was reactivated on 22 January 2007. It was previously implemented on 12 October 2006 and formally ended on 22 December.
Between 12 October and 22 December 2006 Operation Safeguard was used on 4,617 occasions. This does not correspond precisely to the number of prisoners: one occasion means one prisoner night in a police cell.
The average cost per police authority is not available: costs can be submitted up to 90 days in arrears. The average estimated national cost is £385 per night.
Police Custody: West Midlands
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held in police cells in the West Midlands police force area over the last six months for which figures are available; and in which police stations. [121117]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 19 February 2007]: West Midlands Police have made places available under Operation Safeguard at Steelhouse Lane police station.
The numbers of people held in police cells on a daily basis are held as management information only.
Prison Accommodation: Shipping
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the prison ship accommodation will be available for use; where such accommodation will be located; how many prisoners, and of what category, such accommodation will hold; and what the total cost of purchasing and fitting out each of the ships is. [121215]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Home Office is currently engaged with bidders on a shortlist to assess their proposals for ships including when each proposed ship might be available for use and, the capacity, costs and potential use for each ship.
The proposed location of any ship has not yet been determined.
Prison Service
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to question 115499, on what dates he discussed the level of funding for learning and skills courses for offenders (a) in custody and (b) in the community with the Department for Education and Skills. [122449]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Inter-Ministerial Reducing Re-offending Group, jointly chaired by Baroness Scotland and Phil Hope discusses cross-government issues relating to reducing re-offending.
Prison Service: Pay
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) under what circumstances a Prison Service manager would qualify for receipt of required hours addition allowance; and if he will make a statement; [123470]
(2) if he will investigate the payment of required hours addition allowance to non-operational grades within the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. [123471]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Under the Prison Service phase 1 managerial pay structure introduced in 2000, governors can pay a required hours addition (RHA) to managerial jobs in paybands E, F or G where the role requires unpredictable and unsocial working hours and meets the policy criteria.
The Prison Service is currently carrying out a review of all posts that may attract payment of RHA. The review will consider whether a post meets the established criteria and therefore continues to attract this allowance in line with the aforementioned criteria.
Prisoners: Learning Disability
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners have learning difficulties. [119352]
Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available centrally. However, a project undertaken by the Dyslexia Institute looked at evidence of the incidence of dyslexia and related learning disabilities among the prison population. The findings suggested that 20 per cent. of the prison population have some form of unseen (hidden) disability which will affect and undermine their performance in both education and work settings. A further 32 per cent. of the sample who were given an in-depth assessment had literacy difficulties but did not show positive evidence of the characteristics of dyslexia, dyspraxia or other unseen disabilities.
Prisons
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prison places (a) needed and (b) available as of 7 February. [122497]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Daily prison population figures are available for use as management information only. Population figures are available on a weekly basis.
On Friday 2 February the total prison population was 79,705 and the operational capacity of the prison estate was 80,734, including up to 400 places available under Operation Safeguard. On Friday 9 February 2007 the total prison population was 79,686 and the operational capacity of the prison estate was 80,769, including up to 400 places available under Operation Safeguard.
Prisons: Disabled
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision he is making in the new prison building programme for the needs of disabled and elderly prisoners with particular reference to wheelchair access to cells. [122241]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The design briefs require all new prison buildings to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Prisons: Telephones
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors determine the price of phone calls charged to prisoners; and if he will make a statement. [122564]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The cost of calls is subject to contractual agreement between the Home Office and British Telecommunications plc. The factors used are commercial in confidence to both parties.
Private Prisons
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fines have been served on the companies operating private prisons since their opening; for what reasons; and whether any fines served on companies operating private prisons have been waived. [117571]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The financial deductions from the fees paid to the companies operating prisons are listed in the table.
The deductions were made in respect of poor performance as measured in terms of the contractual performance management system. Escapes and doubling of cell occupation in excess of the permitted level are penalised separately.
There are two instances of deductions being waived, either partially or in full. Altcourse prison incurred penalty points of £715,646 for Q 2 and 3 1998, but this was reduced to £195,000 as part of contractual refinancing in November 1999, when it was agreed the Prisons Service was owed £1,000,000 due to increased termination liabilities, less the total penalty due to be deducted (£715,646).
An escape occurred at Forest Bank in March 2005 for which a penalty was not raised on the grounds that the escape could not have been prevented unless the escorting staff put their own lives at risk.
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