§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers are currently suspended from duty due to allegations which have been made against them by prison inmates at prisons in England and Wales. [62181]
§ Mr. George HowarthOn 2 December 1998, there were 44 staff suspended from duty as a result of allegations made by prisoners at prisons in England and Wales.
§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the pilot project on the introduction of new-style security passes for prison staff; and from what date it is proposed that wearing the new-style passes is to be mandatory. [62225]
§ Mr. George HowarthEvaluation of the pilot exercise, which took place between April and July this year, did not uncover any major problems. Minor practical improvements have been made to the design of the pass holder.
An instruction about the wearing of the new security pass is being prepared in consultation with the Prison Service trade unions. The issue of the pass is expected to begin shortly and be completed by April 1999. The wearing of the new pass will be mandatory from the time it is issued.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions public funds have been used to pay the debts of (i) staff messes and (ii) staff clubs, in Prison Service establishments; and what was the total amount so spent in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [61906]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Prison Service has kept central records only since 1 April 1995. Since then, records show that public funds have been used on two occasions to pay the debts of staff messes in Prison Service establishments. The sums involved were as follows:
£ Year Amount 1995–96 23,898 1996–97 2,675 1997–98 nil Over the same period, public funds have been used on four occasions to pay the debts of staff clubs in Prison Service establishments. The sums involved were as follows:
£ Year Amount 1995–96 nil 1996–97 18,253 1997–98 35,717