HC Deb 26 March 1996 vol 274 cc935-42

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Wells.]

10.14 pm
Dr. Norman A. Godman (Greenock and Port Glasgow)

The Minister will not be surprised to learn that the subject of this debate was prompted by the recent publication of the report of the chief inspector of prisons, C. B. Fairweather, on Her Majesty's prison, Greenock. I want to ask the Minister a few questions, and I will begin here and now. Why are the chief inspectors of the Prison Service drawn from outwith the service, quite unlike the practice in the police and fire services?

The chief inspector's report is decidedly unsympathetic to the management and staff at the prison. I remind the Minister that, when Mr. Fairweather and his colleagues carried out their inspection in November last year, Greenock—a small local prison—was the most overcrowded prison in Scotland. As the chief inspector observes in paragraph 5.1 of his report: Greenock is designed to hold 172 prisoners in single cell accommodation though on the first full day of our inspection (Monday 12 November 1995) the population at lock-up was 249 (which represented 45 per cent. overcrowding)". Chief Inspector Fairweather should have added that the governor and his staff were and are quite literally running two prisons in one. That has come about because of the unfortunate mix of prisoners in the prison. In my view, criticism should always be even-handed—or, at the very least, balanced by an acknowledgment of the difficulties experienced by those being subjected to criticism. Chief Inspector Fairweather should take that on board.

The Minister and the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, Mr. Frizell, know that I visit Gateside from time to time. I formally opened the summer fete at the prison two years ago. It was a huge success, with more than 1,000 local people coming into the prison, but not a single prisoner leaving on an unscheduled departure ticket. Last year's fete was opened by a very good friend of mine, Provost Alan Robertson, who is also well known to the Minister. That, too, was a success. Despite the fact that I was not invited to last year's fete, I still hold the governor and his staff in deep respect. I do not know why I was not invited, but the Minister and I know that that sort of thing happens to elected representatives.

In fairness to the governor, Dan Gunn, I must say that he persuaded me to think again about the advisability of employing women prison officers in male prisons. I readily admit that I have long argued that women should not be allowed to work on the deck of a trawler or in a male prison. Now, after my education by the governor, I readily acknowledge that it makes good sense to employ women officers in male prisons. What steps have been taken to recruit more women prison officers to serve in male prisons, and how many trainee governors have been recruited in each of the past three years?

As the Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson), is present, I want to say that I do not for one moment advocate that women should work on our trawlers. There are sticking points for old reactionaries like me.

The prison in Greenock enjoys good relations with the local community. Not so long ago, some legitimate concerns were raised with me by the residents of Nimmo Street, which backs on to the prison. In fairness to prison staff, I think that those problems were, by and large, dealt with to the qualified satisfaction of my constituents in that street. Life is now a good deal easier for them.

I turn to the distressing issue of suicides at Greenock prison. I have been critical of Chief Inspector Fairweather, and, spotting the beam in my eye, prison staff were upset and angry at my comments that were reported in the Greenock Telegraph, following the suicides of two young prisoners within 24 hours. When I met a number of prison officers, they were not slow in telling me of their anger and distress at my comments. As they say in Glasgow, they did not miss me and hit the wall.

I readily acknowledge that individuals who are determined to take their own lives can sometimes obscure that fatalistic intent from others, which of course includes prison officers and doctors. A psychiatrist to whom I recently spoke said that it is not always possible to detect those who are intent on taking their own lives.

Chief Inspector Fairweather says in paragraph 3.15 of his report: There had been a total of five suicides at the prison since our last inspection, three of them by hanging within the last eight months. There had also been a very recent serious attempted suicide which, but for the quick reactions of staff, could have been fatal. This alarming upsurge in suicide in such a relatively small prison should nevertheless be viewed against background statistics which indicate a trebling of the suicide rate in 1994 amongst prisoners throughout Scotland. This in turn mirrors the fact that suicide is now the second most common cause of death amongst the young male population in Scotland. In paragraph 3.17, he adds: We felt that suicide awareness among all staff was good and as comprehensive as any we had seen elsewhere, but it is clear that staff intervention is only possible when suicidal intent is being signalled. Regrettably, there are still occasions when individuals will take their own lives without warning to staff or other prisoners. That is an eminently fair observation of the distressing state of affairs.

With Mr. Fairweather and his colleagues, I too await with interest the report that the Prison Service has commissioned from Professor Gunn of the London Institute of Psychiatry into the service's suicide prevention strategy and the rising trend of suicide in our prisons. Will the Minister ensure that hon. Members are given ready access to that report when he receives it? When does he expect to receive it? Everything possible must be done to dissuade the mainly young prisoners who are prone to suicide from carrying out their distressing intent.

Mr. Fairweather's report makes numerous recommendations, which I sincerely hope the Scottish Prison Service and the Minister will treat sympathetically and seriously. Incidentally, when I visited Greenock prison last Saturday, I was deeply impressed by the architectural design of the new hall. The prisoners who are housed in the new hall, which is to be called Chriswell after an old farm near Inverkip—which will be part of my constituency if I am lucky enough to be re-elected—were very pleased with their new surroundings.

One prisoner in the new hall, a man who has been in prison for many years, pleaded with me to help him secure his early release. He asked me to make representations to "that politician who runs our prisons", and said that he thought his name was Mr. Willie Hamilton. I said that I thought he was confusing my old friend, that staunch republican, with the Minister. I know that there are those who would have liked to see Willie Hamilton put behind bars for some of his views.

I now turn to what I consider to be equally serious issues concerning PADs—persons awaiting deportation. As the chief inspector pointed out, the average number of such persons has risen from 11 to 16. On Saturday, when I was in the prison, there were 14 such persons, and I spoke to five of them. They are men guilty only of breaching immigration rules. They are not criminals, and they should not be in a prison.

Their detention at Gateside presents formidable and often distressing problems for them and serious difficulties for members of the prison staff. There are difficulties in terms of language, culture, religion and diet. Three Indians, who were decent and polite individuals, complained to me that they had not tasted a decent curry for a long time. I said that there was nothing I could do about that. More seriously, there are formidable problems for such persons.

What training is given to the staff at Greenock and Aberdeen, where, I believe, a few such persons are detained?

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Raymond S. Robertson)

indicated assent.

Dr. Godman

I see the Minister nodding.

What training is given to the staff to equip them to deal with such detainees? Are they given special training?

I have another serious question for the Minister. Does the Scottish Prison Service bill the Home Office immigration and nationality department for the detention of such persons in our prisons in Scotland? If not, why not? The immigration and nationality department has the responsibility for detaining those people.

I was able to speak to the detainees out of earshot of the governor and the prison officers in A hall in the prison. They told me that they had no complaints against the staff, which was gratifying for me to hear as the local Member of Parliament, but they were not so complimentary about certain prisoners. There is an Albanian in Greenock prison at the moment, and I was unable to speak to him as he knows no English. What assistance is given to prisons to allow such persons to be given an understanding of their rights, their privileges, prison regulations and the prison regime? That is an important question in terms of language difficulties.

I remind the Minister that, in a letter written on 14 September 1994 to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, East (Mrs. Prentice), the then Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department said of detainees south of the border: It is true that some detainees are detained in prisons, generally because they require greater levels of security and control than can be provided in immigration detention centres. In such cases they are generally accommodated with unconvicted prisoners and accorded the same privileges. That is not the case at Greenock.

Detainees are accommodated alongside untried prisoners, but they mix with prisoners who have been convicted in the sheriff court and the High Court. The fact that they mix with criminals of all kinds is simply not good enough. These people have broken immigration rules, but they have done nothing else. They are not criminals, and they deserve to be treated much more decently.

What access is given to legal representatives? Are the prisons at Aberdeen, Greenock, Perth and elsewhere as open in terms of access to legal representatives as those south of the border? In other words, is there access at weekends, and if not, why not?

In January, I asked the Home Office a question about the building of a holding centre at Glasgow airport. I was told: There have been no discussions with the British Airports Authority about building a holding centre at Glasgow airport."—[Official Report, 30 January 1996; Vol. 270, c. 706.] When I spoke to Mr. Vernon Murphy, the managing director of the British Airports Authority in Scotland, he told me that he could see no difficulties in finding a site for such a centre at Glasgow airport. In a letter to the Minister two weeks ago, I argued for the construction of such a centre. Doubtless the Minister will respond to that letter in his reply.

I remind the Minister of the observations of Chief Inspector Fairweather in paragraph 6.38 of the report: In our view, PADs are inappropriately located in a complex Hall housing a difficult and disparate population within an already overcrowded local prison. I know that the prison is not as overcrowded as it was in November because of the opening of the new hall, but it is still overcrowded.

The report continues: On the one hand these men, who are a generally conforming group, are subjected to a criminal subculture in which violence and drug abuse are common and from whom they can expect racial taunts and intimidation … We are of the opinion that although the Prison Service is doing its best, this group should properly be located in secure hostel or other accommodation which is dedicated to the containment of this special category. I hope that the Minister, Mr. Frizell, and others in the Scottish Prison Service will take on board the observations of Chief Inspector Fairweather.

Greenock prison, even though it is still overcrowded, is well run. That view is shared by members of the visitors committee, most of whom I know personally, and some of whom the Minister knows. The problems discussed in the report and his recommendations must be tackled comprehensively and expeditiously. I offer my best wishes to Governor Gunn, who is forsaking the green pastures of Greenock for Polmont. I regret his passing, but I am pleased that he is being promoted. I would be grateful to the Minister for answers to my questions.

10.31 pm
The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton)

I am glad to respond to the hon. Memer for Greenock and Port Glasgow (Dr. Godman), and glad that he has changed his views about women not being allowed to operate as deckhands to a more politically correct attitude. The Scottish Office also has a good record. The Scottish Prison Service follows an equal opportunities policy, and women recruits are warmly welcomed. There is an increasing number of women in the service, including management posts. Recruitment and promotion are, of course, on merit.

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for the opportunity to speak about the work of Greenock prison. I agree that it is a good and well-run prison. I know that he has, for many years, taken a positive interest in its work and in helping to maintain good relations between it and the local community.

The hon. Gentleman raised four issues: persons awaiting deportation, overcrowding, suicides, and the chief inspector's report.

He expressed concern about the use of the prison for the detention of persons awaiting deportation. The Prison Service in Scotland provides a service on behalf of the immigration service to hold in secure custody persons detained under the Immigration Acts. Such people are foreign nationals detected as illegal entrants or overstayers. They are normally held at Greenock, Edinburgh or Aberdeen prison until their deportation orders are served or their cases are otherwise settled. The advantage of Greenock is its close proximity to Glasgow airport.

The average number of persons held in Scottish prisons awaiting deportation is around 12, but it varies from month to month. The maximum number recorded in Greenock prison was 33 in August 1995.

In his recent report on Greenock prison, the chief inspector recommended that the Scottish Prison Service should enter into a dialogue with the immigration service with a view to identifying suitable alternative accommodation for all persons awaiting deportation. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland indicated in his response to that report, the governor has maintained an informal dialogue with immigration service officials about the use made of Greenock to hold persons awaiting deportation.

However, although the persons awaiting deportation add to the pressure on the establishment, their numbers may not be so great as to make provision of a separate purpose-built detention centre a practical proposition. None the less, in the light of the chief inspector's concern, the Scottish Prison Service is discussing that matter further with the immigration service, and the director of custody will meet the director of the immigration service on 10 April. Any separate purpose-built facility would be the responsibility of the immigration service.

As the chief inspector acknowledged, the staff at Greenock prison will continue to manage the needs of those awaiting deportation with sensitivity and humanity. Regular visits are made by representatives of Strathclyde community relations council to advise on any religious, social or dietary needs of persons awaiting deportation. The council also arranges for interpreters, as required. The prison staff organise fortnightly discussions with persons awaiting deportation to resolve any problems.

Every six weeks, those detained are able to meet representatives from the local ethnic minority communities socially in the prison chapel. Videos and reading material are provided, and they are offered frequent access to facilities such as the gymnasium. The prison's ethnic minorities liaison officer monitors their situation. Any concerns are relayed immediately to the immigration service, and the few instances of racial harassment that arise are dealt with firmly.

The hon. Member asked about staff training. There is, of course, close liaison with Strathclyde community relations council. The present ethnic minorities liaison officer has spent several days training with that council, which provides prison staff with advice on the sensitive handling of persons awaiting deportation.

As for overcrowding and the overall regime at Greenock, unfortunately the prison has had to cope with high prisoner numbers, often 30 per cent. above its previous design capacity of 172, for some time. That is why we have built an additional accommodation block there.

Chrisswell house, which consists of 60 cells on two galleries, cost £2.2 million, and opened last month. It is being used to house long-term, low-risk prisoners preparing for liberation. That will reduce overcrowding, and allow single-cell occupancy in Darroch hall, where long-term prisoners are also housed. At 15 March, Greenock was holding 236 prisoners, as against the enlarged design capacity of 232.

As for the rest of the prison estate, every effort is being made to minimise overcrowding by making the best use of accommodation and by bringing refurbished accommodation on stream as quickly as possible. The changes in the use of Castle Huntly, from housing young offenders to housing adults, and in that of Cornton Vale, so that it will take some young male offenders in segregated accommodation, are enabling the Scottish Prison Service to reduce overcrowding elsewhere in the system. That reduces the pressure on the local prisons at Edinburgh and Barlinnie.

The SPS is also working on obtaining a new prison under the private finance initiative. That prison will operate under the prison rules, and to a specified level of service. It will have about 500 places, built to category B standard to allow for future flexibility.

Because of its location, and in order to make the best use of the particular facilities there, Greenock prison holds a range of prisoners. It is a local prison serving the courts in the west of Scotland, principally those of Greenock, Paisley and Dumbarton. It also provides an enhanced regime for long-term prisoners nearing the end of their sentence—a "top end" facility for prisoners who are preparing for release and reintegration back into society.

I shall now talk about the distressing subject of suicides, which the hon. Gentleman mentioned. One suicide in the Scottish prisons is one too many, but it has proved difficult to ascertain why there has been an increase in the number of suicides. Each confirmed death by suicide has been extensively examined by management at the prison, by the Prison Service suicide risk management executive steering group, by the medical adviser to the service and by fatal accident inquiries. No common theme or pattern has emerged, and the medical adviser can see no reason for the increase in the number of suicides.

The fact that rare events sometimes cluster, and that the rate of suicide among young males in Scotland as a whole has increased, is of little comfort. The Prison Service has rightly commissioned Dr. Kevin Power and Dr. Joseph McElroy of the department of psychology at the university of Stirling to undertake the comprehensive evaluation of the suicide prevention strategy.

In addition, Professor Gunn of the institute of psychiatry is to provide authoritative independent assessment of the ways in which the Prison Service seeks to prevent suicide, with a view to ascertaining what steps could be considered in addition to action taken. Both the reports are expected in the near future. Professor Gunn's report is certainly coming within the next few weeks, and we will consider it very carefully. We will await his advice, and we will consider how his analysis might best be disseminated.

At Greenock, a room has been set aside for vulnerable prisoners on the bottom flat of A hall, which is linked to the staff office and can be monitored constantly. Recent action across the service includes a new emphasis on providing care facilities that allow prisoners on strict suicide supervision greater personal interaction, a new design of supervision cell, new types of clothing and bedding for at-risk prisoners, and a rolling programme of training for prison nursing staff.

The hon. Member asked why the chief inspector is a lay appointment. It is, of course, important that the chief inspector brings a completely independent view to the inspection of the service. It is in line with the citizens charter, therefore, that he should be a lay person. Naturally, he is supported by a deputy chief inspector and an inspector, who are governors seconded from the Scottish Prison Service. The need to balance the competing demands of the different regimes at Greenock has been fully addressed in the context of the governor's strategic plan for 1996–97.

The deficiencies in the regime, to which the chief inspector referred, reflect the fact that Greenock is in a transition stage. As it develops a regime profile, it will be better able to assist and challenge prisoners to address their offending behaviour under the sentence planning scheme. There are now sufficient resources available—both by reallocation of existing resources and by resource injections through the strategic planning process—to take account of the opening of the new accommodation block.

Progress is being made in Greenock in the delivery of programmes aimed at reducing reoffending. Work is in hand to develop a comprehensive model for assessing prisoners' needs for counselling and training, and to identify welfare problems. There has been a substantial investment in training prison staff to deliver programmes aimed at addressing offending behaviour, and the prison aims to achieve the investors in people standards.

The existing regime includes a range of programmes to address offending behaviour. There are group sessions on violence and anger management, and on drug and alcohol awareness. Inverclyde Alcohol Services assists in providing the alcohol counselling service. The education unit runs a course on listening and counselling skills, and has prepared a life skills and pre-release course. A cognitive skills training programme has been introduced to help prisoners to develop appropriate problem solving and coping strategies to break the cycle of persistent reoffending.

The cognitive skills programme was originally developed in the Canadian correctional service, and is based on extensive research there, which showed that many offenders have particular difficulties in solving problems, in thinking through the consequences of their actions, in understanding the needs of others, and in relating effectively to other people. I am glad that Greenock is playing a pioneering role in this connection. The Scottish Prison Service programme, which is being introduced throughout the service, consists of nine modules delivered over 35 two-hour sessions.

Research on the effectiveness of the cognitive skills programme in Canada showed an 11 per cent. reduction in overall reoffending among federal offenders serving two years and over. The programme will help prisoners to rationalise problems and to make better decisions, which should have a significant impact on how they conduct themselves when they return to society.

I could go on for a long time in this regard, but I shall conclude by telling the hon. Member that he is right to praise Greenock prison, and that he has addressed some important issues tonight.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at sixteen minutes to Eleven o'clock.