§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning convicted and remand prisoners being kept in police stations because prisons are full; whether he has any immediate plans to reduce the number of prisoners being held in police cells in Leicester; and whether he has any timetable for ending the holding of convicted and remand prisoners in police stations nationwide.
§ Mrs. RumboldI have received a large number of representations from hon. Members and others about this problem. As my hon. Friend has made clear, he has taken a number of steps to reduce the numbers held in police cells, by converting young offender establishments to adult use, deferring the closure of wings, and retaining in use establishments which would otherwise have closed.
Because the arrangements for holding prisoners in police cells are co-ordinated nationally through the police mutual aid co-ordination centre, it is not possible to predict the effect of these measures on police cells in particular areas. While not being able to predict accurately when the problem will be solved, I can say that I believe the measures taken, together with new prisons opening, will relieve the pressure in the foreseeable future.