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11 Dec 2007 : Column 386W—continued
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Prisons
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison places he estimates there will be in England and Wales in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012. [172836]
Mr. Hanson: Following the publication of Lord Carter’s review of prisons, Securing the Future, the proposed building and modernisation programme is aimed to bring overall net capacity of the prison estate to just over 96,000 places by 2014.
The individual projects and the time frame to deliver this capacity are being developed.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many safe cells have been installed in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; [173211]
(2) how many prisoners committed suicide in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many of these suicides occurred in safe cells. [173212]
Maria Eagle: Finding out the number of safer cells installed during the last 10 years would incur disproportionate cost. However, there are to date in excess of 5,000 safer cells installed across the prison estate.
The following table provides figures for apparent self-inflicted deaths in each of the last 10 years. There have been 14 such deaths of prisoners located in safer cells in that time.
| Self-inflicted deaths( 1) | Self-inflicted deaths in safer cells( 1) | |
| (1) The Prison Service definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available. (2) To 7 December 2007. | ||
The Prison Service has “safer cells”—no cell can be considered totally “safe”—that can complement a regime providing care of at risk prisoners and reduce risks around impulsive suicide attempts. The use of this type of accommodation should be seen as just one part of the comprehensive suicide prevention strategy. The design of safer cells has several features which can assist staff in the task of managing those at risk from suicide, such as specially designed furniture and fixtures which are manufactured and installed to make the attachment of ligatures very difficult, and access to window bars prevented via-non-opening windows with integral ventilation grills.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many of the 9,500 extra prison places in the building programme already underway will be safe cells; [173213]
(2) pursuant to his oral statement of 5 December 2007, Official Report, columns 827-30, on prisons (Carter Review), how many of the additional 10,500 prison places will be safe cells. [173394]
Maria Eagle: Existing Prison Service guidance, Prison Service Order 2700 Suicide Prevention and Self Harm Management, on the introduction of safer cells states that for new accommodation all cells in category A, category B and local prisons will be fitted with safer cells to the full safer cell specification and 25 per cent. of category C accommodation will be fitted with safer cells to the full specification.
All projects within both the existing 9,500 place programme and the additional programme for 10,500 places are assessed individually in response to local requirements. The individual projects to deliver the new capacity are being developed.
Rape: Convictions
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research the Government has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on differential conviction rates in rape cases in different police force areas in England and Wales. [171356]
Mr. Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
Home Office Research entitled “Investigating and Detecting Recorded Offences of Rape” was published on 20 July 2007. It looked at factors affecting detection and conviction rates using case files from eight police forces. The research included a comparison of the conviction rates across the force areas.
Young Offenders: Learning Disability
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders in England had a learning disability or difficulty at the latest date for which figures are available. [172956]
Mr. Hanson: The study “Mental Health Needs and Effectiveness of Provision for Young Offenders in Custody and in the Community” (Professor Richard Harrington and Professor Sue Bailey, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales 2005), identified 23 per cent. of young offenders as having learning difficulties, that is having an IQ of 70 or less.
The research method used, however, was not able to differentiate between intrinsic learning disabilities and low IQ scores where lack of education was a contributory factor.
Northern Ireland
Demonstrations
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to receive the (a) interim and (b) final report from the Strategic Review of Parading in Northern Ireland. [172839]
Paul Goggins: I expect to receive the interim report from the Strategic Review of Parading in the new year. The date of their final report will depend on the time it takes to complete their consultations once the interim report has been published.
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to publish (a) an interim and (b) the final report from the Strategic Review of Parading in Northern Ireland. [172840]
Paul Goggins: I expect to publish the interim report from the Strategic Review of Parading in the new year. The final report will be published later in 2008.
Members: Correspondence
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to reply to the letter of 27 September 2007 from the hon. Member for North Down on police officers’ pay; and if he will provide an explanation for the delay in replying. [170472]
Paul Goggins:
Police officer pay in Northern Ireland is considered as part of the national Police Negotiating Board process. I understand that the hon. Lady wrote in identical terms to Home Office Ministers and
received a substantive response setting out the Government’s position on police pay.
In view of this Ministers did not send a separate response. I apologise for the confusion and will write setting out the current position with regard to the 2007 police pay award.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Carbon Sequestration
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what capacity building he has undertaken to increase carbon (a) capture and (b) storage infrastructure. [164386]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government have undertaken a series of measures to build capacity in both carbon capture and carbon dioxide storage. These include:
supporting one of the world's first commercial scale demonstrations of the full chain of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology on a coal-fired power station;
developing a regulatory regime for the storage of CO2 (framework to be outlined in the forthcoming Energy Bill);
establishing a fund, in 2005, of £25 million (since increased to £35 million) to encourage the industry-led demonstration of carbon abatement technologies including CCS;
funding a three-year programme of research, through the Natural Environment Research Council, into issues related to CCS, particularly storage of carbon dioxide;
supporting CCS research projects through the Technology Strategy Board programme (during the period 2004-08 we have allocated £11.2 million for research projects into all carbon abatement technologies);
working with the North Sea Basin Task Force to publish a report focusing specifically on the possibilities for developing a pipeline infrastructure in the North sea for transporting CO2 for permanent storage; and working very closely with the Chinese government to support an EU initiative for a near zero emissions coal project in China which will incorporate CCS technology.
Coal: Pollution Control
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the relative effectiveness of pre-combustion and post-combustion clean coal technologies; and if he will make a statement. [167045]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 22 November 2007]: My Department has funded two studies, the reports from which will shortly be available at:
which have looked at pre- and post-combustion technologies. These show that both technologies are potentially capable of capturing 85 to 90 per cent. of carbon dioxide produced.
We have selected post-combustion capture for the UK demonstration project since this meets our objective of demonstrating technology that is relevant and transferable to key global markets—particularly in emerging economies. However, we consider that all CCS technologies have the potential to make valuable contributions to reducing carbon emissions and we expect to see all CCS options rolled out once they have been successfully demonstrated.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of pre-combustion clean coal technologies in meeting UK carbon reduction targets. [167046]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 22 November 2007]: A modelling study, available at:
undertaken to inform the UK's Carbon Abatement Technologies strategy showed that carbon capture and storage (involving the deployment of both pre- and post-combustion technologies) would contribute to the UK's carbon reduction targets from about 2020.
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans his Department is considering for the encouragement of the use of pre-combustion coal technologies. [167047]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 22 November 2007]: The Department has a £35 million programme to support all carbon abatement technologies, including pre-combustion capture technologies and we have funded two research projects, the reports from which will shortly be available at:
looking specifically at pre-combustion technologies. We are also supporting the wider deployment of all CCS technologies through the development of a regulatory framework to govern the storage of carbon dioxide and other ongoing policy work.
We selected post-combustion capture for the UK demonstration project since this meets our objective of demonstrating technology that is relevant and transferable to key global markets—particularly in emerging economies. However, we consider that all CCS technologies have the potential to make valuable contributions to reducing carbon emissions and we expect to see all CCS options rolled out once they have been successfully demonstrated.
Radioactive Materials: Transport
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he has taken to consult (a) London residents and (b) local authorities in London on the transportation by rail through London of nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement. [169388]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
For the purposes of this question ‘nuclear waste’ will be taken to mean irradiated nuclear fuel (INF) which is transported by rail from nuclear power stations to Sellafield in Cumbria.
The Government set out their preliminary view on the future of nuclear power in the consultation document, published on 23 May. Chapter 7 of the consultation document considers transport issues. In it the Government believe that the risks of transporting nuclear materials are very small and that there is an
effective regulatory framework in place which ensures that these risks are minimised and sensibly managed by industry. The consultation included a question on the transport of nuclear materials, which was:
“Do you agree or disagree with the Government's views on the transport of nuclear materials? What are your reasons? Are there any significant considerations that you believe are missing? If so, what are they?”
The Government wrote to all local authorities to make them aware of the consultation and all were invited to the stakeholder meetings we held. The consultation ended on 10 October and the Government are currently carefully considering the responses received before they makes the decision in the new year.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the risks arising from the movement of nuclear waste by rail through (a) tunnels and (b) inner city areas; and if he will make a statement. [169396]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
Under health and safety legislation it is the responsibility of the organisation carrying out any activity to carry out a risk assessment. In the specific case of activities involving radioactive material this is a requirement of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (1999 No. 3232).
For the purposes of this question “nuclear waste materials” will be taken to mean irradiated nuclear fuel (INF) which is transported by rail from nuclear power stations to Sellafield in Cumbria.
Particular activities carried out by the DfT in assessing risks associated with INF transport are detailed in my answer to PQ 169395. One of the reports referred to in 169395 (NRPB-W66) looks specifically at the radiological impact of INF transports through London and concludes that it is low.
Trains transporting INF are timetabled to avoid passing through tunnels at the same time as other trains carrying dangerous goods.
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