§ 25. Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the working of arrangements for terminal leave from Her Majesty's Prisons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CarlisleMy right hon. Friend is satisfied that the scheme, which is about to be extended, makes as generous provision for home leave as is practicable in present circumstances. I am aware of the case which has caused concern to the hon. Gentleman and will write to him again about it.
§ Mr. SpearingDoes not the hon. Gentleman agree that arrangements for terminal leave would be fairer if they were tied to the length of sentence rather than to the type of institution in which a prisoner by chance finds himself?
§ Mr. CarlisleI agree that there is a distinction between those who are in a training prison or a local prison in the matter of qualifying for terminal leave. At the moment the pressure of resources, both in the prison service and in the probation service, is such that it would be impossible to extend the provisions for local prisons to bring them into line with those operating in training prisons. On the other hand, the Government have announced that from next January they will bring the threshold down and will allow more people within the local prisons to becomes entitled to home leave.