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Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the number of prisoners (a) per prison officer and (b) per prison staff member on the latest available date.[HL2764]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested is listed below:
| Staff: Prisoner Ratio(1)(2) | |
| Prison officers to population | 1 : 2.52 |
| All staff to population | 1 : 1.41 |
(1) The figures are as at 31 May 1999.
(2) The figures exclude staff and prisoners at privately operated prisons.
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The average number of education hours per prisoner per week for the financial year 1998-99 was 4.0 hours. The average number of education hours per prisoner per week for the first quarter January to March of 1999 was 4.3 hours.
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The provisional percentage of prisoners held in 1998-99 in prisons which unlocked those on standard and enhanced regimes for 10 hours or more per weekday was 57.2 per cent. Data are subject to validation by prisons.
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The provisional average number of hours of purposeful activity per prisoner per week in 1998-99 was 22.8. Data are subject to validation by prisons.
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The number of seconded probation officers working in establishments in
June 1998 was 570; in December 1998 it was 612.
The Prison and Probation Services have a joint commitment to the effective delivery of throughcare. The number of seconded probation staff in establishments is dependent on an annual contract between the governor of the establishment and the chief probation officer for the area. Staffing levels need to be flexible to meet changing requirements. Governors must adhere to the principles of the national throughcare framework document--signed by the Prison and Probation Services--in determining the number of seconded probation staff needed to prepare ex-offenders adequately for post-release supervision.
Lord Harris of Greenwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Prison Service is tackling the issues raised in the Pentonville Prison Board of Visitors' annual report in a number of ways. These include providing additional funding for education and workshop activities, and an evaluation of the present telephone and visits booking system.
Pentonville's health care needs are currently being evaluated by the Prison Service's estates planning committee. This will include an assessment of the need for a new purpose-built health care centre.
Lord Stanley of Alderley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: After the powers of the Welsh Office are transferred in July, planning inspectors will continue to decide the majority of planning appeal cases but major appeals will be recovered for decision by the Assembly. The criteria for recovery will be announced as soon as a review of the current arrangements has been completed. The Assembly's decisions on planning appeals will be exercised under delegations to be decided in due course.
Baroness Goudie asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the average number of education hours per prisoner (a) in 1998-99 and (b) in the first quarter of 1999.[HL2765]
What percentage of prisoners were held in 1998-99 in prisons which unlocked those on standard and enhanced regimes for 10 hours or more per weekday.[HL2766]
What was the average number of hours' purposeful activity per prisoner per week in 1998-99.[HL2767]
How many seconded probation officers were working in prisons in June 1998 and December 1998 respectively; and what plans there are for the future number of seconded probation officers.[HL2768]
What action they propose to take following the publication of the annual report of the Board of Visitors of HM Prison Pentonville; and in particular what steps are being taken to provide a purpose-built health care centre.[HL2788]
Which body or individual will have the final responsibility for determining planning appeals in Wales under the devolved arrangements.[HL2762]
Whether they will list the membership of the External Reference Group for the review of sexual offences.[HL2836]
16 Jun 1999 : Column WA33
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The following organisations and individuals form part of the External Reference Group of the review of sex offences under the chairmanship of the Home Office:
- Barnardo's
- CARE
- The Children's Society
- National Children Homes Action for Children
- Blackliners
- Campaign to End Rape
- Dan Lambeth
- The University of Sussex
- Stonewall
- St. Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre
- British Medical Association
- Kairos in Soho Ltd
- Women's National Commission
- MIND
- MENCAP
- Rape Crisis Federation
- University of North London
- Board of Deputies of British Jews
- Association of Directors of Social Services
- Nick Bent
Kairos-APAC Trust Prison Programmes
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the contracts entered into by the Prison Service with Kairos-APAC Trust for services provided at The Verne, Highpoint and Swaleside prisons; what payments have been made to the trust for those services; what management systems are in place to determine whether the services provided are good value for money; and what are the comparative recidivism rates for prisoners who went through the Kairos programme and control groups of other similar offenders.[HL2775]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Prison Service has no formal contracts with the Kairos-APAC Trust but individual governors have made local arrangements with the Trust in the form of "Partnership Agreements". I have arranged for copies of these to be placed in the Library. Payments to the Kairos-APAC Trust have principally been contributions towards staffing costs; Highpoint prison has paid £33,689, the Verne £8,000 and Swaleside £8,094. The governor of each of the prisons concerned has a responsibility to ensure that the
whole regime, including any contribution made to it by an external body, provides value for money.Information about comparative recidivism rates is not available. The Prison Service is now considering whether it should continue to support these projects beyond the present commitment, which expires on 30 June.
Foreign Nationals in UK Prisons
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish, for the latest convenient date, a list of foreign nationals in the prisons of England and Wales, giving the name of the country and the number of citizens of that country, as in the Written Answer given on 20 May 1996 (WA79-82).[HL2773]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Provisional information for 31 March 1999 is given in the table.
| Males | Females | Males and females | |
| All Nationalities | 61,036 | 3,176 | 64,212 |
| British | 56,199 | 2,685 | 58,884 |
| Foreign nationals | 4,775 | 487 | 5,262 |
| Europe | 1,869 | 133 | 2,002 |
| Albania | 34 | 1 | 35 |
| Andorra | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Armenia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Austria | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Belgium | 50 | 8 | 58 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Bulgaria | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Croatia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Cyprus | 82 | 2 | 84 |
| Czechoslovakia | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Denmark | 17 | 2 | 19 |
| Estonia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Finland | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| France | 67 | 5 | 72 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Germany | 97 | 14 | 111 |
| Gibraltar | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Greece | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Hungary | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Iceland | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Irish Republic | 676 | 27 | 703 |
| Italy | 112 | 1 | 113 |
| Kazakhstan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Latvia | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lichtenstein | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lithuania | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| Malta | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Netherlands | 177 | 34 | 211 |
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Poland | 27 | 1 | 28 |
| Portugal | 70 | 9 | 79 |
| Romania | 33 | 1 | 34 |
| San Marino | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Serbia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Sweden | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Slovakia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Spain | 64 | 12 | 76 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Turkey | 173 | 3 | 176 |
| Turkmenistan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Russia | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Yugoslavia | 57 | 0 | 57 |
| Asia | 834 | 20 | 854 |
| Bangladesh | 100 | 1 | 101 |
| Brunei | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Burma | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Cambodia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| China | 52 | 3 | 55 |
| Hong Kong | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| India | 227 | 6 | 233 |
| Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Japan | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Korea (North) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Korea (South) | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Malaysia | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Mongolia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nepal | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 319 | 6 | 325 |
| Philippines | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Singapore | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Sri Lanka | 47 | 0 | 47 |
| Surinam | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Thailand | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Vietnam | 33 | 1 | 34 |
| Middle East | 117 | 3 | 120 |
| Afghanistan | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Iran | 35 | 2 | 37 |
| Iraq | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Israel | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Jordan | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Kuwait | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Lebanon | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| Qatar | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Yemen | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| North America | 102 | 32 | 134 |
| Canada | 32 | 6 | 38 |
| United States of America | 70 | 26 | 96 |
| Central or South America | 153 | 29 | 182 |
| Argentina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Brazil | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| Chile | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Colombia | 101 | 21 | 122 |
| Ecuador | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Guatemala | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Honduras | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mexico | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nicaragua | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Panama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Peru | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Venezuela | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| West Indies | 779 | 173 | 952 |
| Antigua | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Barbados | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Cayman Islands | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dominica | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Grenada | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| Guyana | 26 | 3 | 29 |
| Haiti | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jamaica | 647 | 155 | 802 |
| Montserrat | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Netherland Antilles | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| St. Christopher & Nevis | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| St. Lucia | 18 | 2 | 20 |
| St. Vincent & The Grenadines | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 28 | 5 | 33 |
| Africa | 880 | 92 | 972 |
| Algeria | 69 | 0 | 69 |
| Angola | 25 | 1 | 26 |
| Botswana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Burundi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cameroon, United Republic of | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Central African Republic | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Congo | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Egypt | 17 | 1 | 18 |
| Ethiopia | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Gambia | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Ghana | 98 | 18 | 116 |
| Guinea | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ivory Coast | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| Kenya | 39 | 5 | 44 |
| Liberia | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Libya | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Malawi | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Mali | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mauritania | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mauritius | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Morocco | 31 | 0 | 31 |
| Namibia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Niger | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nigeria | 212 | 27 | 239 |
| Rwanda | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Seychelles | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Sierre Leone | 19 | 1 | 20 |
| Somalia | 90 | 1 | 91 |
| South Africa | 71 | 20 | 91 |
| St. Helena | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Sudan | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Swaziland | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Tanzania | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Togo | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Tunisia | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Uganda | 35 | 1 | 36 |
| Zaire | 26 | 1 | 27 |
| Zambia | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Zimbabwe | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| Oceania | 41 | 5 | 46 |
| Australia | 25 | 4 | 29 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| French Southern Territories | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Guam | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Herd and Mcdonald Island | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Not Recorded | 62 | 4 | 66 |
(3)Provisional figures.