§ 62. Mr. HAYESasked the Home Secretary the number of adult prisoners and young prisoners, respectively, who are employed on the making and repairing of mail bags and the number of prisons where male prisoners are employed almost exclusively on this form of work without any opportunity of obtaining any industrial training; and whether he will issue instructions that some form of industrial training must be provided in every prison?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONThe latest available returns show that 2,759 male adult and 132 male young prisoners were employed on the making and repairing of mail bags. Mail bag making is not carried out in Borstal institutions, nor by females. There are nine small prisons where the male prisoners are employed mainly on mail bags. The Prison Commissioners are making every effort to obtain other work for prisoners, and, with that object, all Government Departments have been requested by the Treasury to place orders whenever possible with the Prison Commissioners.