§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the cost of providing additional razor wire security to the perimeters of category C prisons. [29954]
§ 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. George Howarth, dated 29 June 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the cost of providing additional razor wire security to the perimeters of Category C prisons.The Prison Service is looking at a number of new measures designed to improve physical security. One possible development involves the use of razor wire coils as a barrier to make it extremely difficult for a prisoner even to reach the perimeter fence.The use of razor wire on a significant scale would depend upon the results of current trials and further assessment in a pilot prison setting. The cost-effectiveness of alternative measures would also need to be assessed before any final decision was made.Although some preliminary work has been done on the cost of additional razor wire, specific estimates cannot be prepared until completion of the trials and our own evaluation of the precise needs of each individual establishment.