§ 61. Mr. Carlisleasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the conditions in which those prisoners convicted for their part in the great train robbery are now being detained in Durham Gaol.
§ Miss BaconAs the House will know, the imprisonment of the train robbers presents special security problems. This means that those at Durham prison are located in a special wing there where they can be more closely supervised and their movements are restricted to the wing and the exercise yard adjoining it. The wing itself although small compares favourably with prison conditions generally. The prisoners are not confined to their cells; they work in association for about 51 hours daily from Monday to Friday; on two evenings a week they can watch television together, or play cards or other games including table tennis; and on Saturdays and Sundays they can watch television in the afternoon and attend a chapel service on Sundays if they want to. Recently, there have been one or two minor changes with the intention of further improving the conditions under which these prisoners are confined.