HC Deb 25 November 1991 vol 199 cc362-5W
Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how expenditure in real terms on prisons has moved since 1980.

Mrs. Rumbold

Expenditure on prisons has increased from £744 million in 1980–81 in 1990–91 prices to £1,342 million in 1990–91, an increase of 80 per cent.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners, who should have been held in prisons, were held in police cells in each week to date in 1991.

Mrs. Rumbold

The number of prisoners held in police cells in each week to date in 1991 are as follows:

1991 Number
4 January 504
11 January 557
18 January 570
25 January 567
1 February 604
8 February 616
15 February 639
22 February 672
1 March 673
8 March 639
15 March 762
22 March 641
26 March 728
5 April 633
12 April 503
19 April 545
26 April 487
3 May 516
10 May 603
17 May 661
24 May 600
31 May 593

Establishments Headquarters
Officer inmate ratio Governor grades inmate ratio Other staff inmate ratio Total staff inmate ratio
1 April 1980 .32 .02 .16 —
1 April 1981 .35 .02 .17 —
1 April 1982 .35 .02 .17 —
1 April 1983 .35 .02 .17 .04
1 April 1984 .36 .02 .17 .05
1 April 1985 .36 .02 .17 .04
1 April 1986 .36 .02 .17 .04
1 April 1987 .35 .02 .16 .04
1 April 1988 .37 .02 .16 .04
1 April 1989 .40 .02 .17 .04
1 April 1990 .44 .02 .19 .04
1 April 1991 .48 .02 .21 .05

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours were worked on average per inmate by(a) prison officers, (b) governor grades and (c) Prison Department civil servants in each year since 1985.

Mrs. Rumbold

Governors are an all hours worked grade and information about the actual number of hours worked by them during any particular period is not collected centrally. Similarly, no such information is available for the wide range of grades of staff who work in prison service headquarters. The average prison officer hours worked per inmate is as follows:

Prison officer hours worked on average per inmate: 1 April 1985 to 1991
Hours
1 April 1985 20.35
1 April 1986 20.34
1 April 1987 19.76
1991 Number
7 June 598
14 June 609
21 June 699
28 June 872
5 July 1,049
12 July 1,080
19 July 1,194
26 July 1,190
2 August 1,165
9 August 1,183
16 August 1,301
23 August 1,557
30 August 1,534
6 September 1,584
13 September 1,647
20 September 1,803
27 September 1,665
4 October 1,624
11 October 1,661
18 October 1,802
25 October 1,807
1 November 1,777
8 November 1,718
15 November 1,640
22 November 1,638

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the ratios of(a) prison officers, (b) governor grades and (c) Prison Department civil servants to prisoners on 1 January and 1 July in each year since 1980.

Mrs. Rumbold

The available information is as follows:

Hours
1 April 1988 17.30
1 April 1989 18.08
1 April 1990 18.69
1 April 1991 19.72

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many industrial disputes there are at present in the prison service.

Mrs. Rumbold

On 22 November there were registered disputes at 36 of Her Majesty's prisons. Some of these disputes cover more than one issue.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current estimate of(a) prisoner numbers and (b) the total certified normal accommodation in the prison estate for each year to 1997.

Mrs. Rumbold

On the basis of projections made at the beginning of this year, the projected population and certified normal accommodation (CNA) for prison service establishments in England and Wales in each financial year to 1996–97 were as follows:

Population CNA
1992–93 45,669 49,114
1993–94 45,836 50,862
1994–95 46,932 51,676
1995–96 48,587 51,850
1996–97 50,262 51,727

The actual prison population is already 1,500 in excess of the figure projected for 1992–93. Until the end of 1994 there will also be temporary reductions in the capacities of those establishments where access is being provided to night sanitation.

Prison population projections in calendar year form are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Projections of long-term trends in the prison population to 1999" issue 10/91, a copy of which is in the Library.

Sir John Wheeler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the monetary value of the food allowance for prisoners has been in real terms in each year since 1980.

Mrs. Rumbold

The estimated average cost, per prisoner per week (at September 1991 prices), of the normal dietary scales for the 12 months ending in September, 1983–91 was:

Year1 Current value 2 3 £
1983 7.22
1984 7.75
1985 7.61
1986 7.25
1987 7.17
1988 7.06
1989 6.91
1990 47.00
1991 46.59

Notes:

1Information for the years prior to 1983 is not available.

2At September 1991 prices. Values adjusted using the retail prices index for all food items.

3The values include the estimated notional value at published farm gate prices of goods produced on prison farms and gardens.

4From January 1990, salad items, culinary adjuncts, special provision for prisoners attending court and for medical diets and supplements for dispersal prisons and for Christmas extras have been excluded from the costings. Figures strictly comparable with those for earlier years are not available.

Improved purchasing has led to steadily reduced costs since 1985 for a basically unchanged dietary scale.