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7 July 2008 : Column 1309W—continued
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's copy of the minutes of the inter-party talks on party funding of 31 October 2007. [215329]
Bridget Prentice: As stated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) in the debate on the publication of the White Paper on 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 695, release of these papers is a matter for Sir Hayden Phillips.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice further to the publication of the party finance and expenditure White Paper, whether the proposed new trigger rules will apply to (a) sitting councillors and (b) councillor candidates. [215330]
Bridget Prentice: Changes to the rules on triggering will be included in a forthcoming Bill. The new rules will not apply to councillors or councillor candidates.
Prisoners Release
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people convicted of (a) robbery and (b) actual bodily harm have been released on end of custody licence; [216952]
(2) how many people have been released on end of custody licence who had previously been refused a home detention curfew; [216953]
(3) how many people have been released on end of custody licence since 27 June 2007. [216954]
Mr. Straw: The available information on numbers released by offence is published monthly, in the statistical bulletin end of custody licence releases and recalls, available from the library of the House and the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
The following table shows the available information on numbers of prisoners by offence group who were released under the ECL scheme from 29 June 2007 to 31 May 2008:
| Offence group | Releases |
| (1 )Prisoners convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (Offences Against the Person Act 1861 s.47) are not excluded from release on ECL. It would not be possible to identify the number of prisoners convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm without examining individual case files which would incur disproportionate cost. These offences are included in the category ‘violence against the person’. | |
Prisoners serving sentences for the most serious violent offences and registered sex offenders are excluded from ECL. A complete list of exclusions is contained within PSI 42/2007. This may be found on the prison service website at the following address:
Of the 28,879 prisoners released under ECL between 29 June 2007 and 31 May 2008, the latest date for which this figure is available, around 5,300 had previously been refused release on home detention curfew.
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.
Prisoners: Open University
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners (a) took and (b) passed degree courses at the Open University in 2006; and in which subjects. [216390]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not available by calendar year.
During academic year 2006-07 1,211 prisoners undertook studies towards an Open University degree, with 1,065 successfully completing the course module (or modules) they studied during that year. These figures exclude some learners who have been released since the end of the academic year. Of those undertaking studies, 393 studied Openings Courses. The 10 most popular course modules studied were:
Social Science Level 1
Openings: Understanding Society
Openings: Understanding Management
Openings: Open to Change
Arts Level 1
Openings Starting with Maths
Open Mathematics Level 1
Understanding Human Nutrition
Openings: Understanding Health
Using Mathematics
My Department funds a prisoner’s Openings Course and/or a first course module through the Open University which may, but will not necessarily, lead into further study to degree level.
In the 2006-07 academic year, 21 Open University graduated in prison. The subjects in which degrees were awarded were:
BA (Hons) Humanities
BA (Hons) Business Studies
Bachelor of Laws (Hons)
BA/BSc (Hons) Social Sciences
BA/BSc (Hons) Human Geography
BA/BSc Open Degree
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what facilities are available to prisoners to take Open University courses; and if he will make a statement. [216391]
Mr. Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
My Department makes financial provision available to prisoners to study Open University courses, where they do not have sufficient funds of their own and works in collaboration with the Open University and the Prison Service. My Department funds an Openings Course, and/or a first course for a prisoner accepted onto a programme of study leading to an undergraduate qualification, as well as meeting the ongoing additional tutorial costs the Open University incurs.
In addition to this financial contribution, the prison gives support through the Head of Learning and Skills to prisoners during their study, and the final decision about whether a prisoner is suitable to take a particular course rests with the prison governor in the light of security and public protection considerations. The Learning and Skills Council contracts with Offender Learning and Skills Service providers requires them to provide practical support and guidance, other than tuition, to prisoners studying for Open University courses.
Prisoners: Suicide
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people from (a) Tamworth and (b) Staffordshire committed suicide while in prison and (i) on and (ii) not on suicide watch in each of the last 10 years; [215815]
(2) how many ex-offenders committed suicide within a fortnight of leaving prison in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [215817]
(3) how many women aged 30 to 50 years committed suicide in prison while (a) on and (b) not on suicide watch in each of the last 10 years. [215829]
Maria Eagle: The home address of those who die in prison custody is not recorded centrally. To verify home address information (which in some cases would be 'no fixed abode') would involve contacting each individual prison and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information about suicides amongst people released from prison is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm will be cared for using the ACCT (assessment, care in custody and teamwork) procedures. ACCT is the prisoner-centred flexible care-planning system introduced across the prisons estate in partnership with the Department of Health during 2005-07 to replace the old F2052SH system. The term ‘suicide watch' is not employed in National Offender Management Service prison suicide prevention policies, as it has been found to be unhelpful in that it could imply a lack of staff interaction with at-risk prisoners.
All at-risk prisoners are subject to a minimum required frequency of staff supervision (conversations and observations) set by an individual case review. Such frequency can vary widely between different at-risk prisoners depending on the level of risk and the needs of the distressed individual.
The following table provides a response based on whether or not an ACCT plan or F2052SH at-risk care plan was open at the time of death.
| Identified at-risk at time of death | Number of self-inflicted deaths( 1) of women aged 30 to 50 | |
| (1) NOMS definition of prisoner 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. | ||
Prisons
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria are used in considering the location of a titan prison. [215824]
Mr. Hanson: The main criterion, in considering the location of a titan prison, is where demand for prison places outstrips supply. The titan prisons consultation paper, published by the National Offender Management Service on 5 June, identified three regions where the demand for prison places is likely to be greatest: London and the Thames corridor/Thames gateway, the west midlands and the north west. Site searches in these areas are currently underway.
In terms of the sites, the minimum criteria for consideration are:
Minimum site of 50 acres.
Preferably brown field sites, regular in shape, level and not overlooked.
Ideally no restrictions, such as listed buildings, rights of way across the site, other third party rights, etc.
Good access from the public highway.
Ideally all mains services connections already exist.
Prisons: Telephones
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2008, Official Report, column 684W, on prisons: telephones, if as part of the re-tendering process he will undertake to bring prison telephone tariffs closer to comparable tariffs outside prison. [216975]
Maria Eagle: The re-tendering project for provision of telephones to prisoners after 2011 will commence later this year. The pinphone system will continue to be a specific product for safe use by prisoners. One of the aims will be to ensure more reasonable call charges for prisoners than currently. This aim will be balanced against a range of other technical and security requirements.
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