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Drug Use in Prisons

Lord Chadlington asked Her Majesty's Government:

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The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): The Prison Service Drug Strategy mirrors the Government's national strategy by seeking to reduce both the supply of drugs and the demand for them. Key elements include:


    security and deterrent measures, including mandatory drug testing (MDT);


    detoxification services, to manage the physical symptoms that arise from drug dependence, now available in all local prisons;


    a CARATs (counselling, assessment, advice, referral and throughcare) gateway service to meet the non-clinical needs of prisoners;


    50 intensive treatment programmes to meet the needs of prisoners with moderate to severe drug misuse problems and associated behavioural problems;


    voluntary drug testing to offer support to prisoners wishing to remain drug free and willing to be tested;


    a wide research programme to develop good practice.

Sexual Offences

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 September 2001 (WA 6), when they will announce their response to the consultation on Setting the Boundaries: Reforming the Law on Sex Offences, published in July 2001.[HL4307]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government are considering their response in light of the comments received and will make an announcement in due course.

Child Pornography on the Internet

Baroness Ludford asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What action they have taken to prevent child pornography appearing on the Internet.[HL4388]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government are determined to tackle child pornography whether on or off line and the criminal law applies equally to both.

The majority of child pornography is placed on servers outside the United Kingdom. However, there are effective measures to deal with it when it appears within our jurisdiction. Since its formation in 1996, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has operated a hotline to enable users to report the presence of child pornography in a newsgroup or website. If the IWF assesses the material as likely to be illegal and it is hosted on a UK server, the internet service provider (ISP) is notified by the IWF and must remove it or risk breaking the law. Over 40,000 items of child

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pornography have been removed in this way. Details of the site are sent to the police or, if the originator is abroad, to the enforcement agency of the country concerned via the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

In January 2001, we raised the maximum penalties for taking, making, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children to 10 years (from three years) and the maximum penalty for simple possession of such material to five years (from six months).

In November 2000 the then Home Secretary announced a £25 million investment in the police over three years specifically to fight hi-tech crime and to enhance the capability of the police at national and local level to investigate computer based offences, including the possession and distribution of illegal pornography.

In March 2001, the then Home Secretary established a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet. The task force began work in May. It is a partnership of representatives from the Internet service and communication providers; the Internet Watch Foundation; PC and software retailers and manufacturers; child welfare organisations; the main Opposition parties; law enforcement agencies and academics.

The task force is looking at proposals for legislation to tackle paedophile "grooming" activity on and off line and best practice models for providers of chat and other Internet services and computer awareness training for the police and child protection practitioners.

Internationally, the Government are supporting efforts within the European Union and more widely to combat child pornography on the Internet. In November 2001, we signed the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime which will underpin co-operative action between signatory states in respect of computer-related crimes, including the making, distribution and possession of child pornography.

Prisons: Purposeful Activity

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will provide a table showing how many hours each week are allocated to purposeful activity in each of HM prisons and young offender centres for (a) remand prisoners and (b) sentenced offenders; and what improvements are planned for the coming year. [HL4444]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Prison Service does not collect centrally information to distinguish time spent in purposeful activity by sentenced prisoners and those on remand. The average weekly purposeful activity time for all prisoners in 2001–02 in each establishment in England and Wales is given in the table.

Targets agreed with establishments for 2002–03 aim to increase the overall average purposeful activity

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time. Additional investment in regimes is intended to increase the proportion of time spent in activities which contribute to reducing crime, such as education, drug and offending behaviour work and resettlement activity.

Function namePrison namePurposeful hours
Male localAltcourse34.3
Male localBedford19.8
Male localBelmarsh11.0
Male localBirmingham19.3
Male localBlakenhurst18.9
Male localBristol21.1
Male localBrixton16.6
Male localBullingdon13.8
Male localCanterbury18.0
Male localCardiff20.4
Male localChelmsford18.8
Male localDoncaster20.1
Male localDorchester15.7
Male localDurham20.3
Male localElmley18.6
Male localExeter22.9
Male localForest Bank21.7
Male localGloucester20.5
Male localHigh Down15.9
Male localHolme House15.5
Male localHull20.5
Male localLeeds18.7
Male localLeicester21.0
Male localLewes18.6
Male localLincoln18.6
Male localLiverpool17.7
Male localManchester19.7
Male localNorwich18.9
Male localNottingham17.2
Male localParc26.8
Male localPentonville15.0
Male localPreston21.1
Male localRochester23.0
Male localShrewsbury23.8
Male localSwansea22.0
Male localWandsworth17.1
Male localWinchester19.0
Male localWolds28.3
Male localWoodhill16.0
Male localWormwood Scrubs18.5
DispersalFrankland20.9
DispersalFull Sutton17.4
DispersalLong Lartin18.3
DispersalWakefield18.2
DispersalWhitemoor20.2
Category BAlbany24.2
Category BBlundeston25.8
Category BDovegate27.5
Category BGarth23.4
Category BGartree30.5
Category BGrendon35.6
Category BKingston24.3
Category BLowdham Grange27.2
Category BMaidstone21.0
Category BParkhurst19.1
Category BRye Hill29.4
Category BSwaleside24.3
Category CAcklington23.2
Category CAshwell31.7
Category CBuckley Hall30.3
Category CCamp Hill21.4
Category CChannings Wood33.5
Category CColdingley38.2
Category CDartmoor21.6
Category CErlestoke27.9
Category CEverthorpe28.0
Category CFeatherstone24.2
Category CGuys Marsh22.6
Category CHaverigg31.1
Category CHighpoint18.9
Category CLancaster24.8
Category CLittlehey23.1
Category CMoorland25.0
Category CMount20.0
Category CRanby23.6
Category CRisley25.2
Category CShepton Mallet22.9
Category CStafford26.4
Category CStocken23.2
Category CUsk37.9
Category CVerne28.4
Category CWayland20.8
Category CWealstun32.6
Category CWeare18.8
Category CWellingborough28.1
Category CWhatton30.6
Category CWymott27.7
Male openFord39.8
Male openHewell Grange42.6
Male openHollesley Bay36.5
Male openKirkham43.4
Male openLeyhill37.8
Male openNorth Sea Camp42.2
Male openStanford Hill39.6
Male openSudbury41.5
Male remand centreNorthallerton22.1
Male closed YOIAylesbury17.4
Male closed YOIBrinsford27.5
Male closed YOICastington25.1
Male closed YOIDeerbolt21.1
Male closed YOIFeltham24.7
Male closed YOIGlen Parva18.2
Male closed YOIHindley20.5
Male closed YOILancaster Farms22.6
Male closed YOIOnley18.0
Male closed YOIPortland24.5
Male closed YOIReading24.4
Male closed YOIStoke Heath25.8
Male closed YOISwinfen Hall28.0
Male open YOIHatfield37.1
Male open YOIThorn Cross43.9
Male juvenileAshfield27.1
Male juvenileHuntercombe26.7
Male juvenileWerrington32.5
Male juvenileWetherby27.1
Female localBrockhill18.2
Female localEastwood Park19.4
Female localHolloway20.3
Female localLow Newton23.7
Female localNew Hall22.9
Female closedBullwood Hall27.2
Female closedCookham Wood22.0
Female closedDownview23.7
Female closedFoston Hall25.4
Female closedSend31.4
Female closedStyal24.9
Female openAskham Grange41.1
Female openEast Sutton Park42.0
Semi openBlantyre House49.0
Semi openDover27.3
Semi openDrake Hall35.8
Semi openHaslar15.2
Semi openKirklevington51.6
Semi openLatchmere House61.2
Semi openLindholme27.7
Semi openMorton Hall30.7

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