§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when(a) he and (b) the Director General of the Prison Service was informed of security problems at HM prison, Parkhurst prior to the breakout in January; and if he will publish or place in the Library details of such warnings; [17291]
(2) when he received a warning from the former governor of HM prison, Parkhurst, Mr. John Marriott, of potential security problems at the prison. [17290]
§ Mr. HowardI explained in my statement to the House on 10 January the extent to which I was made aware of the security concerns at Parkhurst and the action which was taken as a result. As I indicated in that statement, I have asked Sir John Learmont and Sir John Woodcock to carry out an independent assessment of events at Parkhurst. This will include the issue of any warnings about security at Parkhurst which were given before the escapes on 3 January. The findings of their report will be published.