HC Deb 01 July 1941 vol 372 cc1194-7
24. Mr. Thorne

asked the Home Secretary whether he can give any information in connection with the Dartmoor convict trouble; how many of the prisoners were injured; and whether he will have circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT the prison daily dietary?

The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Peake)

I think that my hon. Friend must be referring to reports of disturbances which took place, not at Dartmoor but at Parkhurst Prison, on 3rd June. These arose out of complaints about a meal which the convicts refused to eat. They were given another meal instead, but some of them refused to go to their work or to return to their cells. A few of them had to be removed with the help of prison officers brought from the neighbouring prison of Camp Hill. No one was hurt. These disturbances had nothing to do with the new dietary scale which my right hon. Friend has approved as an experimental measure for three months. The scales are to be reviewed shortly, though it is unlikely that it will be possible to introduce any fundamental changes since the scale is based on the rationing scheme which is applicable to the general public. Particulars of the present experimental scheme will be given in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. G. Strauss

Is any inquiry being made whether the meals were really uneatable and whether some change was made in the kitchen arrangements?

Mr. Peake

The governor of the prison has gone into those questions very carefully.

Following are the particulars of dietary for convicts at Parkhurst Prison:
(1) Ration scales Daily scale Weekly
Bread … … … … … … … … oz. 20
Meat,fresh or preserved … … … … … … oz. 1.5/7 oz. 12
Bacon … … … … … … … … oz. 4/7 oz. 4
(a) Potatoes … … … … … … … … oz. 16
Jam or syrup or treacle … … … … … … oz. 2/7 oz. 2
Fresh vegetables … … … … … … … oz. 3.3/7 oz. 24
(a) Root vegetables … … … … … … … oz. 2 oz. 14
Dried vegetables (split peas, beans or marrowfat peas) … oz. 1.2/7 oz. 9
(b) Sugar … … … … … … … … oz. 1.1/7 oz. 8
Oatmeal … … … … … … … … oz. 3 oz. 21
Rice or Barley … … … … … … … oz. 1 oz. 7
Flour … … … … … … … … oz. 2 oz. 14
(d) Dried fruit … … … … … … … … oz. 4/7 oz. 4
Milk … … … … … … … oz. 7 pts. 2½
(b) Margarine … … … … … … … … oz. 1.1/7 oz. 8
Fish, salt or fresh … … … … … … … oz. 2.6/7 oz. 20
(c) Tea … … … … … … … … oz. 1/7 oz. 1
(c) Cocoa, Admiralty … … … … … … … oz. 3/4 oz. 5¼
Cheese … … … … … … … … oz. l/7 oz. 1
Pepper as required.
Salt
Mustard
Culinary adjuncts—
Baking powder … … … … … 6 lbs. per 100 men per month.
Bi-carbonate of soda … … … … 4 lbs., per 100 men per month.
Cinnamon … … … … … … 1 lb. per 100 men per month.
Nutmegs … … … … … … 1 lb. per 100 men per month.
Spices … … … … … … 1 lb. per 100 men per month.
Vinegar … … … … … … 2 pts. per 100 men may be issued with salt herrings.
NOTES.
(a) Quantity as cooked. The usual wastage allowance will apply.
(b) 1 oz. a week = 6 lb. 4 oz. per 100 men, will be retained by the Cook and Baker for cooking purposes. The issue will thus be 1 oz. per prisoner, per diem. Cooking fat may be issued in lieu of margarine.
(c) Tea and cocoa will be made without sugar.
(d) Fresh fruit can be given when available and when the cost is no greater.
Except as prescribed above under (a) all quantities shown are as bought, e.g., there will be no bone allowance for meat or bacon, and cabbage, etc., wastage has been allowed for.
Alternatives.
Fish.—Salted herrings, fresh fish, sprats or smelts, weight for weight.
Vegetables.—Fresh vegetables 2 oz. = root vegetables, 1 oz. Dried or preserved vegetables ¼ oz.
Treacle.—Marmalade, dried fruit, syrup, jam, weight for weight.
Flour.—Oatmeal or rice, weight for weight.

SPECIMEN DIETARY BASED ON THE SCALE OF INGREDIENTS.
Breakfast (daily)—
Bread … … … 8 oz.
Margarine … … ½ oz.
Porridge … … … 1pt. 3 oz. oatmeal, 2 to 4 oz. milk as procurable.
Tea … … … … 1pt. 1/7 oz. tea, 1½ oz. milk (no sugar).
Dinner (daily) —
Bread … … … 2 oz.
Potatoes … … … 16 oz.
Dinner No.1— Method.
Meat … … … … 4 oz. Boil the beef and cup up in thin slices; issue in bottom tins. Clean and cook vegetables. With rice or barley add dried vegetables; season and thicken with flour, also in bottom tins. Cabbage and potatoes in top tins.
Root vegetables … … 4 oz.
Rice or barley … … 1 oz.
Dried vegetables … … ½ oz.
Flour … … … … ½ oz.
Cabbage … … … 6 oz.
Dinner No. 2 — Method.
Fish … … … … 10 oz. Clean and cut fish, roll in flour, cook in steam or oven, add water if oven is used. Issue in bottom tins Potatoes in top tins.
Flour … … … ½ oz
Flour pudding: — Method.
Flour … … … … 3½ oz Mix flour, cooking fat or margarine, salt, bi-carbonate of soda together, add jam or treacle dissolved in water to make pudding and steam (issue separately).
Fat … … … … ½ oz.
Treacle or jam … … 1 oz.
Bi-carbonate of soda … 4 oz.
per 100 men

Dinner No.3— Method.
Same ingredients as for Dinner No. 1. Prepare as for No. 1 except the meat, which should be cut up in small dice and added to the vegetables as above.
Dinner No. 4— Method.
Bacon … … … … 4 oz. Prepare in the usual way, but if issued as savoury bacon pie 4 oz. of carrots in lieu of cabbage. Marrow fat peas in lieu of beans may be issued if available.
Beans … … … 6 oz.
Cabbage … … … 6 oz.
Dinner No. 5—
As for No. 2.
Dinner No.6— Method.
Root vegetables … … 6 oz. Clean and cook vegetables, add rice, dried vegetables and 4 potatoes which have already been pealed and cooked. Add remainder of potatoes, peeled, to bottom tins when cooked. Mix flour and suet and a little salt, make pudding and steam-cook dried fruit, after soaking overnight, with sugar added, pour over suet pudding in top tins.
Rice … … … … 1 oz.
Potatoes* … … … 4 oz.
Dried vegetables … … 2 oz.
Flour … … … … 4 oz.
Suet … … … … 1 oz.
Dried Fruit … … … 2 oz.
Sugar … … … … ½ oz.
Dinner No 7— Method.
Meat, preserved … … 4 oz. Preserved meat can be issued separately. Cabbage in bottom tins with potatoes. Cook rice in usual way and put in top tins. Dried fruit as in No. 6.
Cabbage … … … 6 oz.
Rice … … … … 2 oz.
Dried fruit … … … 2 oz.
Sugar … … … … ½ oz.
If fish is not available, the following dinners can be issued in substitution:-
On one day a week—
Meat … … … … 4 oz.
Root vegetables … … 4 oz.
Rice or barley … … 4 oz.
Dried vegetables … … ½ oz.
Flour … … … … ½ oz
and the pudding of Dinner No. 2.
and on one day a week—
Vegetable soup of Dinner No. 6, and the pudding of Dinner No. 2.
Supper (daily) —
Bread … … … 10 oz.
Margarine … … … ½ oz.
Cocoa … … … 1pt. ¾ oz. cocoa, 1 ½ oz. milk (no sugar)
One -day a week—
Cheese … … … … 1 oz.
NOTES.
(1) The ingredients set out above will leave 1 oz. flour and 1 oz. rice per week per prisoner for use by the Cook and Baker at his discretion.
(2) Dinners No. 1 and 3 can be issued as Shepherds Pie or Hot-pot.
(3) Each prisoner will be issued with 1 oz. of sugar a day with the supper meal and 1 the tins collected after breakfast next morning.
(4) A small quantity of bi-carbonate of soda may be used with the dried fruit, say, 1 oz. per 100 men.
(5) Stock should be used when cooking the vegetables for Dinners No. 1 and No. 3.
* From daily ration.