§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what positive practical proposals are being considered by his Department for continued or future support for schemes including bail support provision and other measures as a means of tackling overcrowding in(a) Her Majesty's prison Armley and (b) other prisons with a view to reducing the number of unconvicted young prisoners on remand; and what further measures he proposes.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe Government continue to demonstrate their commitment to reducing the number of young people remanded in custody and to relieving prison overcrowding.
An extensive development programme is under way to provide 500 extra bail places at approved hostels by April 1991. The first two hostels in this programme are due to open shortly and one of these is in Bradford. We are considering proposals of establish further approved bail hostels in West Yorkshire.
My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is preparing improved training on bail decisions for magistrates. We are encouraging the development of bail information schemes which give courts better information on which to base decisions about bail. A scheme is proposed for Leeds and is now subject only to final approval.
By the mid-1990s over 25,000 new prison places will have been delivered by the prison building programme. The programme is frequently enhanced. We are now considering proposals to build two 300-place remand centres by 1991. One of these is at Everthorpe on Humberside. The building programme includes a refurbishment project at Her Majesty's prison Leeds which will increase its certified normal accommodation by 226 in 1992 and by 500 in 1997.
91WAt the end of February this year there were over 600 fewer young prisoners on remand than 12 months previously.