THE EARL OF CARNARVON, in rising to inquire of Her Majesty's Government, What Arrangements they nave made for 436 giving effect to the Prisons Act of last Session, by securing an adequate Inspection of the several County and Borough Prisons, said, that the Act to which he referred had placed much power in the hands of the local authorities. A Committee of the House, of which he had the honour of being appointed the Chairman, had given great consideration to the subject, with the view of securing, as far as possible, uniformity of action; and the Committee found that the Prison Inspectors, who had formerly numbered five, had for various reasons, which it would not be necessary for him to go into, been gradually reduced to two, so that the inspection of prisons had in reality become a mere formality. Even in the last Report of the Inspectors, he found that all the prisons in the kingdom had not been visited once in the year. He did not now rise for the purpose of asking an increase in the number of Inspectors, but he did desire to see some machinery established which would secure effectual communication with the local authorities, and by which a harmonious and uniform system would be adopted.
§ EARL RUSSELLwas understood to say that instructions had been given upon the subject by the Home Secretary.
THE EARL OF CARNARVONthought that the answer of the noble Earl was in reality no answer at all. The noble Earl did not say what was the nature of the instructions given by the Home Secretary; and he thought, therefore, that he should not be doing wrong in pressing the noble Earl for a little further information on a matter so important.
§ EARL RUSSELLsaid, he would furnish the noble Earl with further particulars as soon as he received some more information from the Home Office.
THE EARL OF CARNARVONsaid, that under these circumstances, he would repeat his Question on Thursday.