§ 22. Mr. Edmund Harveyasked the Home Secretary whether consideration has been given during recent years to the constitution and adequate use of prison libraries; and whether qualified advisers have been consulted to secure better use of books in prisons?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonVarious aspects of the question of the constitution and use of prison libraries have been considered during recent years, and changes have been made in the rules and practice with a view to improving both the facilities for obtaining books and the better use of those facilities. In the development of these plans, help and advice have been obtained from various quarters and especially from the librarians of county and borough libraries, whose assistance has been most valuable.
§ Mr. HarveyIs my right hon. Friend aware that the prison libraries still depend very largely upon gifts of books from outside and a few rejected books from the public libraries, and that a large number 1058 of the books are crime stories which are interesting to the prisoners but not always beneficial?
§ Sir H. WilliamsIs Hansard send to the libraries?