§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if funding is always available to prisons in England and Wales when a prison governor requests improvements to alarm systems, or security cameras; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 20 December 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the availability of funding for improvements to alarm systems or security cameras in prisons in England and Wales.Governors have discretion to spend up to £50,000 from their local budget on capital projects, including installation of alarms or security cameras. If they have inadequate budget available, they can apply for central funding and this would normally be granted if it was an essential security expenditure.