§ Mr. Tom Coxasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association to ensure adequate staffing in prisons in England and Wales to seek to avoid the serious incidents that have recently taken place in prisons in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorIt would be wrong for me to comment on the details or causes of incidents in Scottish prisons. Actions of those involved in these events may be the subject of criminal proceedings. As my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has announced, general complaints about conditions and the treatment of prisoners at Peterhead prison are to be the subject of a special investigation by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland.
164WThere is frequent contact with the Prison Officers' Association about various aspects of the manning of prison establishments in England and Wales.