§ 1. Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West)How many prisoners have been released as part of the Government's tagging initiative; and what proportion has reoffended. [89210]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. George Howarth)According to the latest figures, as of 7 July 7,226 prisoners had been placed on home detention curfew since the scheme commenced. Of this total, fewer than 1 per cent had been charged with fresh offences committed while on curfew.
§ Mr. SwayneCan releasing a prisoner who has served only six weeks of a custodial sentence of six months be described as being "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime"?
§ Mr. HowarthAccording to important early indications, the home detention curfew is a success. More 2 than 95 per cent. of those who have been discharged have completed their curfews successfully, or are still complying with them. The question that the hon. Gentleman needs to ask himself is this: can he suggest an alternative scheme that would produce comparable results? I suspect not—in which case, this scheme is a success. It is a qualified success at this stage, and we are still keeping an eye on it; but it is better for people to be released into the community under supervision, with some chance of modifying their offending behaviour, than for them simply to be let out with no such prospect.
§ Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)As my hon. Friend says, the scheme has been a great success. One of its unexpected advantages is that there is now a surplus of places in open prisons. Would it not be a good idea to convert one of those prisons into a hostel for women prisoners, who normally pose a very low risk, so that they could lead more or less normal lives and have their young children with them? That would be a humane act.
Perhaps we could also follow the example of other countries, and allow a period of about a fortnight before young women with children need enter prison. That arrangement has been very successful elsewhere.
§ Mr. HowarthMy hon. Friend's suggestion is, in fact, being considered. If there is any surplus capacity in the prison estate, some of it might well be suitable for women offenders.
§ Miss Ann Widdecombe (Maidstone and The Weald)The Minister will be aware of the story that appeared over the weeekend—[Interruption.] It concerned a massive security leak—which is not a subject for frivolity—relating to prisoner records at Belmarsh. Among those whose details were leaked were prisoners who had been released early, including Patrick Magee.
3 Is it the case that, when Magee's release was authorised, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Home Secretary were fully aware of the contents of the records, and of the threats that Magee was alleged to have made, which appear in those computer records?
§ Mr. HowarthMy right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has ordered an inquiry into the leaking of the documents. As far as we know, however, it was not Patrick Magee who was named in them.
§ Miss WiddecombeThis question, then, remains. There was a terrorist, even allowing for the fact that the report was inaccurate about who it was, and his threats about what he would do on his release are fully detailed in the records. Were those threats known and taken into account when the decision to release that person was made?
§ Mr. HowarthFor reasons that the right hon. Lady, as a former prisons Minister, will understand, it would be inappropriate for me to answer that question from the Dispatch Box today. We will, however, ensure that the full facts are given to her in the form of a letter from my right hon. Friend in due course.