§ Mr. DawsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many children Lnder 18 in 2002 were made subject to category A status in prison when they were(a) remanded and (b) sentenced; [101255]
(2) how many children under the age of 18 were held in category A security conditions in prison in 2002, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) location. [101256]
§ Hilary Benn[holding answer 10 March 2003]: In 2002, four 17-year-olds were received into Prison Service accommodation and made the subject of category A procedures. Two of them were sentenced during 2002. Of the two, one was first held at Altcourse and then transferred to Moorland as a Restricted Status prisoner upon sentencing. The other was held in Highdown and had his security categorisation downgraded upon sentencing later in 2002. Of the remaining two, one was received into Woodhill and the other into Belmarsh. Both remain on remand. With regard to their ethnicity, two were white, one black and one of Algerian origin.