§ 9. Mr. SackvilleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish his Green Paper on plans to introduce the private sector into the remand system.
§ Mr. HurdBefore the summer recess. We are also moving forward with the selection and appointment of management consultants to help in examining the practical issues.
§ Mr. SackvilleDoes my right hon. Friend agree that because of overcrowding, drug abuse and other serious problems affecting our prisons it is unwise and inappropriate to expose unconvicted men and women to such a system? We have a lot to learn from certain American states about the treatment of remand prisoners.
§ Mr. HurdI think that my hon. Friend is probably right. I believe that the new bail hostels that I have announced will help, but I hope that we can bring the private sector into the business of not only constructing, but possibly managing, remand centres. We have asked the private sector for ideas on design and on quick methods of constructing open prisons and remand centres. We have had 30 responses, which I find encouraging. The Prisons Building Board will go through the responses and work out the proposals in greater detail.
§ Mr. AshbyWill my right hon. Friend consider very carefully the close involvement of the private sector in the design and building of special remand centres? Will he also consider the smaller, localised remand centre, perhaps attached to or close to a court, or group of courts, so that there can be speedy access to people in custody and they can be remanded without the problem of having to go to distant police stations or prisons?
§ Mr. HurdThe answer to my hon. Friend's first question is yes. His second suggestion is well worth considering in the Green Paper that we are preparing.