§ Mr. HeppellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to secure 479W the safety of the public and railway employees when prisoners travel unescorted by train. [21657]
§ 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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. John Heppell, dated 10 May 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the director general from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the arrangements made to secure the safety of the public and railway employees when prisoners travel unescorted by train.Following the announcement made by the Home Secretary on 6 April about changes to the Prison Rules, new stricter arrangements for the unescorted temporary release of prisoners were implemented on 25 April. Under the new system, there will be substantially fewer prisoners released on temporary licence and prisoners will have to serve longer in prison before their application for release on licence will be considered. Governors may only release suitable eligible prisoners for specific and justifiable purposes if they have satisfied a stringent risk assessment which includes an assessment of the proposed travelling arrangements and the prisoner's compliance with the terms of the licence issued. Instructions to Governors governing the new national policy of release on temporary licence are set out in Prison Service Instruction 36/1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.