§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the number of physically disabled and infirm life sentence prisoners; and what plans the Prison Service has to meet the needs of these prisoners. [HL1004]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe number of physically disabled and infirm life sentence prisoners is not collected centrally. Following the publication of the Joint Thematic Review of Lifers, by HM Inspector of Prisons and Probation, which highlighted the needs of elderly life sentence prisoners, funding has been allocated for 2002–03 to improve services for this group, some of whom will be disabled or infirm. A 31WA Prison Service Order on the Management of Prisoners with Physical, Sensory or Mental Disabilities has been published to ensure that the Governors of all prison establishments, including those holding life sentence prisoners, are aware of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. A working party has been set up to develop a strategy for the reasonable adjustment of prison service premises in order to remove physical barriers to access to services and facilities by 2004, as required by the third stage of the Act.