HC Deb 28 February 1980 vol 979 cc1543-4
4. Mr. John Evans

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with prison remand facilities in North-West England.

Mr. Brittan

No, Sir. There is a shortage of suitable accommodation. Plans for affording permanent relief to Risley remand centre, which serves the North-Western courts, are under urgent consideration, as my right hon. Friend made clear in his answer to a quesion by the hon. Gentleman on 15 February. For the longer term, we are considering the recommendations of the May committee in respect of the building programme and the facilities available to remand prisoners.

Mr. Evans

Does the hon. and learned Gentleman accept that solving the overcrowding problems at Risley in my constituency will not be helped by remanding people to Strangeways gaol at Manchester? Will he concede that the only true solution to the problems in the North-West is the provision of a new remand centre as quickly as possible?

Mr. Brittan

That question will have to be considered in the general review of prison building arising from the May report. I do not agree with the preamble to the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. If it were possible to move a substantial number of prisoners from Risley to Manchester prison, and to move some of the prisoners now at Manchester to the developing prison at Wymott, which, as the hon. Gentleman knows, is currently being planned and negotiated, that would make an important contribution to an urgent problem.

Mr. Robert Atkins

Does my hon. and learned Friend recognise that everyone is apparently in favour of more prisons, provided that they are not build in his constituency or adjacent to it?

Mr. Brittan

I accept my hon. Friend's point. I hope that everyone who asks for further prison facilities to be provided will take that on board when any plans are made.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

Will the hon. and learned Gentleman bear in mind that there are about 6,000 men, women and school children on remand at any one time, and that over 50 per cent. of them are eventually found not guilty or given non-custodial sentences? Will he also bear in mind that all of them have, in effect, served a prison sentence? A not insignificant number of men, women and' children serve a sentence on remand that is longer than the sentence that they could have been given if convicted of the alleged offence. Will he take urgent steps to reduce overcrowding by reducing the number on remand and the time that they spend on remand?

Mr. Brittan

The issue of the facilities at Risley and the wider questions which the hon. Gentleman raises are related, but they are not the same. I agree that action is needed on both scores.