§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many(a) prison staff and (b) prisoners have been charged with offences under race legislation in each of the last five years; [23086]
(2) how many representations he has received on racial discrimination against prisoners in prison work in each year since the case of Alexander v. Home Office 1987. [23084]
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 9 May 1995]: Responsibility for these matters 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. Doug Hoyle, dated 22 May 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about race relations in prisons.There are no records of any representations having been made to Ministers on racial discrimination against prisoners in prison work since the case Alexander v Home Office 1987. However, there have been approximately 55 official complaints made by prisoners to prison staff of racial discrimination on prison work since 1987.Information on the number of prison staff and prisoners that have been charged with offences under race legislation in the last five years is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.