§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to review the conditions under which remand prisoners are held in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo. The reasons for the unsatisfactory conditions in which many remand prisoners are held are well known — antiquated and inadequate buildings and a continually increasing remand population. In order to tackle these problems we have started the biggest prison building and refurbishment programme this century, built new courts, appointed additional judges, set time limits on the remand period before trial, provided for further bail hostel places and introduced other measures aimed at reducing the need for remands in custody.