HC Deb 26 October 1989 vol 158 cc609-10W
31. Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to end the practice of slopping out within prisons.

Mr. Hurd

As I indicated in a reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Boothferry (Mr. Davis) on 20 February 1989 at column 506, we accept that ending slopping out would make a substantial difference to the lives of prisoners and staff, and that achieving this should be given a high priority. Work is under way to reach this goal, with all prisons built or designed since 1979 having either integral sanitation within the living accommodation or free access to sanitation. At existing establishments, the introduction of sanitary facilities is proceeding as quickly as possible within financial and physical constraints. I also announced a provisional programme to add more than 6,500 cells to those already scheduled for conversion. In addition, each establishment which does not have integral sanitation, or where it has not already been scheduled to be included, is being examined to determine the best way of providing such access, taking account of its individual circumstances. We thus plan to reduce the number of places without access to sanitation as quickly as possible, though it is not yet possible to say exactly when the practice will finally cease.