§ Mr. N. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much public money has been spent on the medical officer's house at Perth prison for reconstruction and decorating during the past three years?
§ Sir G. COLLINSDuring the past three years £320 has been spent on the reconstruction, and £18 on the painting, of the medical officer's house at Perth prison. The house was not occupied as an official residence from 1919 until 1930, when extensive structural and other defects were discovered.
§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that 17 of the old occupied officers' quarters at Perth prison have not been reconstructed or modernised within living memory and only partly decorated for some years, and that in many cases the windows are so high up that the occupants have to stand on chairs in order to look out; and whether he will state the number of these old quarters, forming a part of the prison wall, that have heavily barred windows and overlooking the prison?
§ Sir G. COLLINSI am aware that 17 warders' houses at Perth prison which do not lend themselves to reconstruction, and of which one is unoccupied, are unsatisfactory and have windows which are unduly high. It is anticipated that it will ultimately be possible to dispense with their use, and in the meantime a scheme of redecoration has been completed.966W Five of the houses, including the one which is unoccupied, form part of the prison boundary and their windows are consequently barred.
§ Mr. MACLEANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Prison Department has ruled that warders or others officially transferred between Duke Street and Barlinnie prisons do not come within the terms of the Removal Expenses Circular, dated 24th October, 1925, and approved by the Lords of His Majesty's Treasury; is he aware that distance between stations has nothing to do with the terms of the circular; and will he arrange for the Scottish warders to have the benefit of the circular of which they have been deprived for nearly 12 years?
§ Sir G. COLLINSI am not aware that a ruling of the nature indicated in the first part of the question has been given by the Prisons Department for Scotland. The suggestion in the second part of the question is not in accordance with the terms of paragraph 6 of the Removal Expenses Report referred to; but, in the light of the paragraph, the application of the report to cases of the kind mentioned is duly considered. As regards the third part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to his question on 15th November of which I am sending him a copy, and from which he will see that the provisions of the Removal Expenses Report, as applied to the Civil Service generally, were also applied to the Scottish prisons service as from 6th September last.