HL Deb 20 February 1963 vol 246 cc1368-71

2.36 p.m.

LORD STONHAM

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware that the 200 men who will be released from preventive detention on March 20 will be liable to after-care supervision for periods ranging from 20 months to 56 months, and whether they will consider fixing an upper limit for compulsory after-care; also, since the majority of the men have no home, whether arrangements are being made for their temporary accommodation until they can secure lodgings and for jobs in the trades for which they have been trained in prison.]

THE MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE (EARL JELLICOE)

My Lords, the number of preventive detention prisoners due for release on March 19, under the arrangements which my right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced on January 31, is 166 men and 5 women. Like all other prisoners serving sentences of preventive detention, these prisoners would be released on licence subject to the condition that they remain under the supervision of the Central After-Care Association for the remainder of their sentence. I would remind the noble Lord that there is power under Section 26 (3) of the Prison Act, 1952, to cancel or modify any of the requirements of a prisoner's licence, and I can assure him that this would be considered if it were justified in the circumstances of any particular case. With the assistance of the Probation Service, the Ministry of Labour and the National Assistance Board, the Central After-Care Association are making every effort to ensure that these prisoners are provided with accommodation and employment as soon as possible after their discharge.

LORD STONHAM

My Lords, while thanking the noble Earl for that very helpful Answer, may I ask whether he can say how many of these 171 prisoners have no homes to go to? And can he further say, in view of the exceptional difficulties just now in the way of employment being obtained by ordinary people, whether special steps are being taken to help these people, who cost the nation about £2,000 a year each when in prison and in respect of whom it would be an economy to the nation if, in their first few weeks out of prison, they could be helped to get on their feet?

EARL JELLICOE

My Lords, I understand from information provided by the Central After-Care Association that 114 of the 171 prisoners due for release are liable to be homeless on discharge. I might add that the Central After-Care Association have interviewed all the prisoners concerned during the past two weeks and ascertained where they propose to settle on release. They are also doing their best to dissuade prisoners from going to areas of known unemployment or where there is known to be a shortage of accommodation. I think it might also be helpful if I were to assure the noble Lord that the Association are making very special efforts to arrange accommodation for the prisoners concerned, and they are in touch with the local agencies who deal with these matters in all parts of the country.

LORD STONHAM

But is the noble Earl aware that almost all these P.D. men have definitely been trained in a trade while in prison, and can he say whether efforts are being made to find them work in that trade? Is he aware that what they most want is reinstatement? For example, at Wandsworth, out of their 4s. a week earnings, they are putting away 6d. or a 1s. a week to help their own people to stand on their own feet and get a job when they go out of prison. They want reinstatement and help in this way, especially in regard to a job. All these men are institutionalised, and they do need help, especially in following the trade they have learnt in prison. Are efforts being made to find work of that kind?

EARL JELLICOE

I am sorry if I omitted to reply to that particular point which the noble Lord asked me, but I had the question of homelessness immediately in mind. I can assure the noble Lord that the Ministry of Labour will make every effort to place these men in jobs for which they are suitable, and in considering this they will, of course, have very much in mind the training which they may have received in prison.

LORD HAWKE

My Lords, can my noble friend say whether all or any of these men will have a fully-stamped national insurance card when they come out of prison?

EARL JELLICOE

I think I should need notice of that question, but the position as I understand it is that no special arrangements, other than those which are made for ordinary prisoners, will be made about national insurance cards.

LORD HAWKE

May I take it, then, that they will immediately become recognisable among all other forms of labour because they will not have a fully-stamped national insurance card?

EARL JELLICOE

I do not think that that would necessarily apply, because there are also other categories of people—for example, people who have been hospitalised for some little time—who do not have fully-stamped insurance cards. But I think that supplementary is rather wider than the original Question.

LORD STONHAM

But, my Lords, is the noble Earl not aware that people who have been hospitalised do not have the same card? They have an emergency card, as he will be aware from the letter I sent to him. Can he now consider giving these prisoners emergency cards, just as everyone else gets? Then they will not have cards which shriek aloud that they have just come out of Her Majesty's prison. Can he consider that now? There is still time.

EARL JELLICOE

I should be very glad to consider the general question, but I think it right that it should be considered in relation to all prisoners, and not any special category alone.

LORD CONESFORD

My Lords, what happens to a hospitalised man when he is cured? Is he dehospitalised, or homeised?