Prison Repairs and Maintenance Cuts (Hansard, 13 May 1996)

§ Baroness Blatch

Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange a reply to be given.

Letter to Lord Hylton from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt, dated 13th May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the impact of cuts in repairs and maintenance at 14 prisons (Bristol, Brixton, Dartmoor, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, North Sea Camp (Lincolnshire), Pentonville, Preston, Swansea, Wakefield, Wandsworth, Wetherby and Wormwood Scrubs); whether any cells will have to be closed; and whether remand prisoners will once again be lodged in police cells.

The reduction in the centrally-funded Prison Service repairs and maintenance budget in 1996–97, which is classified as work not affecting the continued operation of prison wings, means that some 50 per cent. (around £16 million) of projects have been deferred until later years. However, schemes which have been identified as vital are proceedings in 1996–97. Because of the nature of maintenance work, it is possible that other schemes might have a higher priority during the year and the Prison Service strategy is to monitor and review the situation on a regular basis.

The repairs and maintenance budget is separate from the much larger budget for refurbishment and modernisation. The reduction in this expenditure during the current financial year will mean that our plans to modernise and/or install sanitation at the 14 prisons will be changed. The general effect is that some schemes which were due to start in 1996–7 will be deferred until later years.

38WA

An assessment of the effect on the possibility of police cell use of the reduction in capital expenditure was made in December 1995. This work concluded that there was no significant increase in the risk of using police cells in the 1996–97 financial year.

The Prison Service has not been using police cells since June 1995. Apart from a major unplanned loss of accommodation or an unexpected rise in the population above current projections, we do not plan to use police cells.