§ Mr. McCuskerasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many prisoners in Her Majesty's Prison, Perth, have their prison clothes removed each night; what is the reason for this; and if he will list the offences which the prisoners involved have committed to incure this treatment;
(2) in how many prisons in Scotland prisoners have their prison clothes removed from their cells each night;
(3) why certain prisoners in Her Majesty's Prison, Perth, have to walk 109W naked each morning from their cells in order to collect their prison clothes which were removed the previous night; and whether this treatment is standard procedure carried out with his approval.
§ Mr. William Ross:Prison clothing may be removed overnight from the cells of inmates of penal institutions who are under special supervision in order to safeguard their own health or safety or the security of the institution. In all but three of the Scottish prisons there are inmates whose clothing is at present being removed overnight. The need for this action is assessed individually for each inmate and is not necessarily related to the type of offence for which he was committed to custody. In Her Majesty's Prison, Perth, 12 inmates are currently affected: as each is issued with pyjamas and slippers no one has to walk naked from his cell at any time.