Doncaster Prison (Hansard, 23 January 1995)

§ Mr. Gunnell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training programmes are available for staff at Doncaster prison.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
Responsibility 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 A. J. Butler to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 23 January 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply, in the absence of the Director General from the office to your recent Question about training programmes available to staff at Doncaster prison. All Prisoner Custody Officers (PCOs) undergo initial training to a specification approved by the Prison Service before certification. I am advised by the Director of Doncaster prison that the following in-service training programmes are provided: Weekly Continuation Training of Prisoner Custody Officers, including security practices, control and restraint, first aid, suicide awareness, hostage incidents and anti-bullying. Specialist Courses for Prisoner Custody Officers include: hostage negotiations, the escort and movement of category A prisoners, drug testing and identification, use of short duration breathing apparatus, sentence calculation, drug dog handler training and dealing with young offenders. Training for non-Prisoner Custody Officers, who have each received a minimum of forty hours training including personal security, prisoner and premises security, race relations, health and hygiene and being first on the scene at a hostage incident. Management Training, which included a specialist senior management course prior to the opening of Doncaster. Operational directors have attended the Command of Serious; Incidents course at the Prison Service College.

§ Mr. Gunnell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners can be accommodated in the health care centre at Doncaster prison.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
Responsibility 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.
47W
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 23 January 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Doncaster prison. The Health Care Centre at Doncaster can accommodate 59 patients. Twenty-seven places are in three wards, 12 are in double rooms and the remainder in single rooms.

§ Mr. Gunnell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what numerical criteria were contained in the contract between the Home Office and the Premier Prison Service Ltd. at Doncaster; and how many(a) escapes from court, (b) escapes from the prison, (c) grievance resolutions, (d) assaults on prisoners and (e) assaults on staff there were in the first six months.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
Responsibility 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 A. J. Butler to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 23 January 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply, in the absence of the Director General from the office to your recent Question about the contract with Premier Prison Service Limited to run Doncaster prison. The contract for managing Doncaster prison, a copy of which is held in the House of Commons library, specifies a range of performance criteria, against which the performance of Premier Prison Service is measured. The following are the principal criteria: Escapes from the prison: there should be no more than two by the end of the first year of operation and thereafter no more than one in each year of operation. Escapes from escort: there should be no more than eight in each year for the first three years and no more than six in the fourth year. Time out of cell: prisoners on normal location should be out of their cell for a minimum 12 hours per day. A positive regime: prisoners on normal location should be able to participate in at least a minimum of 12 hours each day of regime activities, including education: adult prisoners should have access to a minimum of six hours of education and training each week, young prisoners under 17 should be provided with 15 hours of education and training each week. Visits: the statutory minimum as set out in Prison Rules must be met. Grievances: ninety per cent of grievances capable of resolution at prison level must be resolved within seven days. Assaults: there should be no more than 148 assaults on prisoners by the end of the first year of operation, and no more than 77 assaults on staff by the end of the first year of operation. The contractor will be in default when both of these targets are exceeded. In general, Premier Prison Service do not have a contractual obligation to supervise prisoners at court, since the court escort and custody service in that area has been contracted to Group 4 Court Services Ltd. They are, however, responsible for Category A prisoners taken from Doncaster prison to court. None has escaped from the custody of their escorting officers at court, or on journeys to an from court. There has been one escape from Doncaster. On 10 August 1994, a prisoner escaped through the visitors exit with the help from a visitor. The prisoner was recaptured and criminal proceedings are pending. There have been 546 resolved grievances in the first six months of operation of Doncaster prison. At 31 December 1994, the latest date for which figures are available there had been 38 proven assaults by prisoners against other prisoners and 93 proven assaults against staff.