HC Deb 24 July 1996 vol 282 cc619-20W
Mr. George Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (i) the latest available figures, (ii) the figures for 1992, (iii) those for 1988, and (iv) those for 1987 for the average number of hours prisoners spend on rehabilitative courses aimed at addressing(a) offending behaviour and (b) drug use for each category C prison. [38751]

Miss Widdecombe

[holding answer 22 July 1996]: 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 24 July 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of hours prisoners spend on rehabilitative courses aimed at addressing offending behaviour and drug use for each category C prison. Information is not collected centrally on the number of hours which prisoners spend on rehabilitative courses addressing drug use, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on courses designed to address offending behaviour is not available before 1992–93. The latest available figures for the number of completed courses and the hours involved in 1992–93 and 1995–96 for those category C prisons running such courses are given in the attached table. Sex offender treatment programme 1992–93: total hours 17,040 (no details are available of the breakdown between different establishments, although it is estimated that category C prisons account for 50 per cent. of the total). 1995–96: total hours 32,220.

Hours
Whatton 8,100
Rochester 1,440
Wayland 4,140
Channings Wood 3,060
Usk 4,140
Littlehey 720
Acklington 2,700
Wymott 5,400
Risley 2.520
Total completions 179

Relapse prevention—Pilot programme in 1995–96

1995–96: 336 hours.

Reasoning and rehabilitation

Not run in any category C prisons at present.

Thinking skills

Figures not available for 1992–93 as this course was piloted in 1993–94.

1995–96: total hours 4,844.

Hours
Channings Wood 196
Wayland 252
Rochester 644
Whatton 532
Elmley 420
Wymott 1,980
Stocken 840
Total completions