§ MR. J. W. BARCLAYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, in carrying out "The Prisons (Scotland) Act, 1877," under which the character of the "cell accommodation" which must be pro- 449 vided by prison authorities is in the discretion of the Secretary of State, he will exact cells of a better description than is required in England, where the "cell accommodation" is determined by the statute of 1865; and whether, to prevent unnecessary outlays, he will state that he will accept cells which have been legalized by the Secretary of State in 1868 and 1872?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSSir, I was very anxious when the Scotch Act was passed last year to have laid down definite provisions in the Act itself stating what the space should be; but the Representatives from Scotland entirely declined to have that provision inserted in the Bill. There is no intention of exacting in Scotland anything that is not exacted in England; and, without binding ourselves to say what the cell accommodation shall be in Scotland, I can say that those in Scotch prisons shall be treated with the utmost fairness, as they have been in English prisons. I cannot allow one word in the last part of the Question to pass unnoticed, because no cells can be said to have been "legalized" by the Secretary of State. Some cells have been allowed, but they have been allowed under protest, and I cannot accept that as a standard.