§ John AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to ensure that keys are not taken out of HMP Belmarsh; what the cost was of the recent incident when keys left the prison; and if he will make a statement. [65253]
§ Hilary BennThe Director of High Security Prisons has instructed the governor of Belmarsh, as well as the governors of the other high security prisons, to review the operation of their key management systems including the recently introduced key fob alarm system so as to ensure they prevent the removal of any keys from their prisons. Governors have been asked to report any possible deficiencies in the system, in order to enable required remedial action to be taken as soon as possible. The governor of Belmarsh has commissioned a disciplinary investigation into the recent incident at his prison.
437WThe cost of replacing the locks necessary as a result of the key being taken out of Belmarsh would normally have been approximately £55,000, but as the specification for the key has been upgraded since original installation at Belmarsh, the opportunity was taken to install the upgraded key at this time. This work incurred an additional cost of approximately £18,000, bringing the total cost to £73,000.