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27 Mar 2007 : Column 1452W—continued


2006
PCO vacancies Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Altcourse

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Ashfield

1

9

2

1

Bronzefield

Doncaster

9

7

10

6

Dovegate

13

14

2

9

Forest Bank

3

3

2

Lowdham

7

10

7

5

Parc(3)

1

9

12

18

Peterborough

4

11

Rye Hill

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Wolds

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1) No information provided by contractor.
(2) Not yet opened.
(3) Information provided by HMP Parc is for the number of prison custody officers (PCOs) staff who joined to fill vacancies.
Notes:
1. Where an establishment has recorded a surplus of staff this has been shown as zero in the table.
2. HMP Bronzefield did not open until 2004
3. HMP Peterborough did not open until 2005.
4. Where information is not available it is due to information not being obtainable because of the variations in computer systems used by contracted companies.

Private sector prison service establishments—projected prison custody officer vacancies
2007
Establishment Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Altcourse

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Ashfield

2

5

3

1

Bronzefield

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Doncaster

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Dovegate

16

7

7

7

Forest Bank

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Lowdham

5

0

5

0

Parc

19

5

1

0

Peterborough

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Rye Hill

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

Wolds

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1)

(1) No information provided.
Note:
Figures for 2007 are projections of vacancies that may be available and are subject to change.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted prisoners in England and Wales are foreign nationals; and what percentage of the total number of convicted prisoners this represents. [128493]

Mr. Sutcliffe: There were 8,328 convicted foreign national prisoners detained in prisons in England and Wales at the end of January 2007. This represents 12 per cent. of the total number of convicted prisoners detained.

These figures have been drawn from administrative data 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.

Prisons: Deaths

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged over 65 years died in prison in each of the last three years. [129925]


27 Mar 2007 : Column 1453W

Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested in respect to deaths of prisoners above the age of 65 is provided in the following table:

Total number of deaths for prisoners aged over 65 years
Number

2004

33

2005

25

2006

22


Prisons: Drugs

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the (a) resources available to prisons to provide drug misuse rehabilitation and (b) number of prisoners requiring this treatment. [129932]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The following table shows details of funding allocated for the totality of prison drug treatment for the years 2005-06 and 2006-07:

£ million
Intervention 2005-06 2006-07

Clinical services (maintenance-prescribing, detoxification)

11.3

23.3

CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through-care service)

26.7

31.7

Drug rehabilitation programmes

19.4

19.4

YPSMS (Young Persons Substance Misuse Service)

2.9

2.9

Total drug treatment

60.3

77.3


Data on the number of prisoners requiring drug treatment are not recorded in the way requested. Instead, prisons rely on epidemiological data which show that, on average, approximately 55 per cent. of prisoners report a serious drug problem prior to prison, with 80 per cent. reporting some prior misuse.

The following table shows the number of prisoners who have benefited from drug treatment over the past two years (for which full-year data are available). Individual prisoners may engage in more than one form of treatment:

Intervention 2004-05 2005-06

Clinical services—entrants to maintenance-prescribing and/or detoxification programmes

53,903

53,323

CARATs—substance misuse triage assessments conducted

59,025

(1)74,588

Drug rehabilitation programmes—

Entrants

7,621

10,743

Completions

4,902

8,011

(1 )Of which 8,709 juvenile/YPSMS element.

Prisons: Mental Health

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of prisoners in need of mental health care who should be treated in secure NHS facilities. [129929]


27 Mar 2007 : Column 1454W

Mr. Sutcliffe: Responsibility for prison health care services now rests with the Department of Health.

Although large numbers of people in prison have a diagnosed mental disorder(s), most do not meet the criteria for detention set out in the Mental Health Act 1983. Those prisoners who are assessed as being too ill to remain in prison are already being transferred to a hospital setting appropriate to their care and security needs.

In 2006, 31 per cent. more prisoners with mental illness too severe for prison were transferred to hospital than in 2002—up to 941 from 722. There has also been a significant decrease in the number of people waiting over 12 weeks for a transfer. In the quarter ending December 2006, 38 prisoners were waiting, down from 62 in the quarter ending June 2005.

Prisons: Patient Complaints

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether NHS patients' complaints procedures have been available for use by prisoners since the NHS assumed responsibility for prison health. [129930]

Mr. Sutcliffe: In April 2006, the NHS assumed responsibility for the provision of primary healthcare services in all publicly run prison establishments. Under this responsibility, prisoners in England and Wales are able to access the NHS complaints procedure.

Prison Service instruction 14/2005, “Handling Complaints about Prison Health Care” gives further detail about the process and is available on the Prison Service website at:

A copy has been placed in the Library.

Romania/Bulgaria

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate the Government have made of the number of people who may come to the UK seeking work from (a) Romania and (b) Bulgaria in 2007. [112664]

Mr. Byrne: The Government have not made any official estimates of the numbers of migrants from Bulgaria and Romania that might migrate to the UK to seek work.

Secure Accommodation: Young Offenders

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2007, Official Report, column 2329W, on secure accommodation: young offenders, what measures are (a) in place and (b) under consideration to create contingency places in the Youth Justice secure estate; how many places each measure is expected to create; and if he will make a statement. [129636]


27 Mar 2007 : Column 1455W

Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 23 March 2007]: The Youth Justice Board has been developing extra capacity in the secure estate for children and young people in response to recent increased demand and has added 342 additional places since April 2004. On 22 March, 237 available places in the estate were unoccupied.

The Board’s Strategy for the Secure Estate for Children and Young People sets out plans for further developing the estate over the longer term.

The following measures are in hand to create extra capacity in the short- to medium-term:


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