§ 59. Mr. Gallacherasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his attention 1310 has been drawn to the experiments in prison reform now being operated in certain English prisons; and whether he will take steps to initiate similar experiments in Scottish prisons?
§ Mr. ElliotAs regards the first part of the question, the reply is in the affirmative. Many improvements in Scottish prison conditions have been made in recent years, and others are either in process of being introduced or are now being planned. The reclassification of prisoners, which is an essential preliminary to many of these improvements, was begun on 1st April and is now actively in progress. The desirability of assimilating the conditions in Scotland and England as far as possible is constantly borne in mind.
§ Mr. GallacherWould the Minister arrange to visit the camp at Wakefield and consider the possibility of introducing that kind of reform into Scotland?
§ Mr. ElliotI recently visited Wakefield, although not actually the camp, and I was interested to hear what progress was being made. I will keep the matter in mind.