§ 14. Mr. Willie W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many health boards are now using prison laundries to process Health Service laundry; and what plans he has to extend this practice.
§ Mr. John MacKayOnly Forth Valley health board uses a prison laundry, but my Department has recently asked two health boards which are at the point of deciding about replacement laundry facilities to consider the possible use of Shotts prison laundry as one way of meeting their needs.
§ Mr. HamiltonHave the trade unions been consulted upon this matter and have they agreed to accept the proposal? Can he name the health boards, other than the Fife health board, that have had their laundry investment programmes stopped so that the operations may be transferred to prisons and other private enterprise establishments?
§ Mr. MacKayI did not know that prisons were private enterprise establishments, but perhaps they are. My right hon. and hon. Friends will be interested in that. The Fife, Ayrshire and Arran health boards have been asked to consider the possibility of using prison laundry facilities at Shotts as one of the ways of meeting their need for new laundries. Unless the hon. Gentleman thinks that prisoners should be given work that amounts to the treadmill, he should welcome the proper use of the laundry facility, which was made available by the Labour Government.