§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when slopping out will end at each of the gaols; and if he will make a statement on prison refurbishment.
§ Mr. MatesSlopping-out does not take place in either of the two Maghaberry prisons as integral sanitation is provided.
At the young offenders centre, Hydebank Wood, a system of electronic unlocking provides inmate access to sanitation at night in much of the accommodation. As a progressive regime operates in the centre, inmates normally progress into such facilities. Refurbishment at the centre costing £3.5 million over the next three years is planned.
At Belfast prison a major £25 million programme aimed at ending slopping-out and greatly improving facilities by the year 2000 has now been planned and elements of work already begun. Due to the scale and complexity of the project and the need for it to be done while the prison is largely operational, work will take some years and the first elements will be security related. The remainder involve installation of many improvements for prisoners and staff, including en-suite toilet facilities in the wings.
In both Maze and Magilligan prisons, prisoners often have their own cells. This allied to a regime which enabled them to spend much of the day out of cell, means that the sanitation difficulties experienced in other jurisdictions are much less prevalent. But we are currently developing a strategic plan for the entire prison estate in Northern Ireland which will include consideration of the installation of integral sanitation in these prisons.