§ 3.10 p.m.
§ Lord Quirkasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the recent report by the Chief Inspector of Prisons on H M Young Offenders' Institution, Brinsford.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)My Lords, in accordance with the protocol agreed between Ministers and the Chief Inspector, the Prison Service will produce an action plan addressing the report's recommendations within 30 working days of its publication.
§ Lord QuirkMy Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that degree of reassurance. But, of course, only three weeks after finding Brinsford "quite disgraceful" the Chief Inspector had to look for even more dire epithets for Birmingham Prison. So would the Minister join with me in congratulating the Chief Inspector, Sir David Ramsbotham, on so resolutely exposing bad practice wherever he finds it, for example the fact that getting on for two-thirds of the 500 youngsters in Brinsford get no education or training at all? Does he perhaps connect this with the equally startling fact that the per capita spend on education and training at Brinsford is less than one-third of that at YOI Werrington which is only half an hour's drive in the same county?
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, of course we take great note of the inspector's reports which are most valuable. They provide a pathway to improving the quality of regimes in the prison estate. Obviously Brinsford must improve. Having met the governor of Brinsford today, I am most heartened by the progress that has been made since the inspector's report of last summer. While last year there were 17 hours of purposeful activity per prisoner per week, there are now 25.6 hours. While there were criticisms of juveniles and young offenders being in mixed living units, there is now no mixing of juveniles and young offenders. While last year at the time of the visit 65 attended education per day, there are now 140 attending education per day. While last year the auditor criticised education provision, the audit in February of this year stated that educational provision was acceptable. There were problems at the time of the inspection. We have a vigorous and active governor in 1533 place. He is addressing the many issues raised in the 154 recommendations of the inspector's report. We expect, and are seeing, some improvements.
§ Lord EltonMy Lords, is it not the case that not so long ago, in order to reassure everyone about the state of the youth estate in the Prison Service, there was appointed a head of the Young Offenders' Group? In the foreword to the report we now discover that that influential person has no executive authority whatever and does not even report to the Director General of the Prison Service. Similarly, today the Minister has asked us to be reassured by the prospect of an action plan. But is the noble Lord aware that the contents of that action plan will reflect in some detail what has been produced in action plans following similar inquiries for Feltharn, Glen Parva, Werrington and Portland? There really is need for a central figure in the system with authority and responsibility to discharge our duties under human rights conventions, the United Nations convention on the child and the provisions of the European Treaty to defend our children in what is becoming a generally abusive system.
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord on his considerable support for our system. I also congratulate the noble Lord on taking—
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, the noble Lord has a record in regard to the prison estate and in particular the youth offender estate. Of course we recognise that there are problems. The reports to which the noble Lord referred bear good testament to that. We inherited a pretty poor level of investment—
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, that happens to be the case. When we came into government there had been significant under-investment in the educational and training side of the prison regimes. We have had to put that right. I am delighted to tell your Lordships' House that record numbers of qualifications are now being attained in our prison estate and, of course, within the youth offender estate. Those matters needed to be addressed. Over the past year there has been a 10 per cent increase in the number of teaching hours delivered. I think that we should celebrate and be proud of that. Noble Lords opposite who shake their heads ought to be ashamed of some of their records during their time in office.
§ The Earl of ListowelMy Lords, is the Minister aware that nearly 50 per cent of the children in YOIs are either still in local authority care or have come out of local authority care? Will he ensure that the new provisions under the Children (Leaving Care) Act will apply to those children and that they will receive all the new benefits that are now being made available to other children leaving care?
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, the Youth Justice Board has done an outstandingly good job and has begun to raise standards for juvenile offenders. Juvenile offenders are beginning to receive record levels of education and training. That is most important. Of course, we must be very mindful of the standards of care in the local authority sector and ensure that they are matched, perhaps exceeded, in the juvenile offender sector.
§ Lord AveburyMy Lords, is the Minister aware that his self-satisfied response to the recitation by the noble Lord, Lord Elton, of the five successive severely adverse reports by the Chief Inspector is deeply offensive to your Lordships? Will the noble Lord say which of the 23 recommendations made by the Chief Inspector in the thematic review of young offenders' institutions of October 1997 have been implemented and whether or not in particular a chief inspector has been appointed to monitor the treatment of children throughout the youth justice system which is so necessary?
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, I do not dispute the necessity of ensuring that standards within our estate are raised. I should like to have had advance notice of the noble Lord's second question, but I am certainly more than happy to give it detailed consideration. As regards the noble Lord's first point, I am not self-satisfied about conditions in the prison estate, whether those concern juvenile offenders or young offenders. We know that there is much more to do. That is why we raised the level of investment as a result of the spending review that was undertaken last year. There is more to do and more to get on with. What we should try to do is build on the strengths that are apparently there.
§ Lord EltonMy Lords, will the noble Lord answer my original question? When will we have an individual in the Prison Service with executive authority reporting directly to the Director General?
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonMy Lords, I shall write to the noble Lord on that precise point.