HC Deb 09 June 2004 vol 422 cc432-5W
John Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many basic skills(a) entry level, (b) level 2 and,(c) level 3 places are available to prisoners at each (i) Prison Service establishment and (ii) privately run establishment. [174289]

Paul Goggins

We do not record this level of detail centrally. The number of basic skills places available to prisoners at entry level, level 1 and level 2 is informed by need, which is identified at induction and initial assessment. Each establishment is required to meet challenging targets at each of these levels. We are providing more money for prisons this year in order to generate additional capacity. The overall target for 2003–04 and 2004–05 and achievement for 2003–04 are given in the table.

Target Achievement
2003–041 36,631 (all levels) of which: 46,517 (127%) of which:
7,749 (entry) 13,431
14,462 (level 1) 18,905
14,420 (level 2) 14,181
2004–05 56,000 (all levels) of which:
16,970 (entry)
23,430 (level 1)
15,600 (level 2)
1 Provisional

Level 2 is equivalent to a GCSE grade A*-D. Prisoners have the opportunity to progress to higher levels through distance learning, for example through the Open University.

John Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Prison Service definition is of purposeful activity for prisoners. [174343]

Paul Goggins

The purposeful activity measure is made up of 29 categories of activity undertaken by prisoners broadly comprising work, education, training, programmes to tackle offending behaviour, resettlement activity and physical education. Prisons report the total weekly purposeful activity hours they deliver by these categories of activity.

Purposeful activities
Activity group Activities include:
Education
Induction assessment Basic skills screening assessments
Basic and Key Skills up to Level 2 All education categories can include private study or 'homework' by

prisoners where this can be validated and an audit trail maintained

Education leading to accreditation Education activity where prisoners are working towards a recognized

qualification (but excluding education leading to basic skills qualifications

categorised above)

Skills training leading to recognized national accreditation Vocational construction and industrial training courses, e.g. industrial

cleaning, catering, motor mechanics, office skills, hairdressing, painting,

construction, electrical

Physical education PE where physical education officers teach and supervise prisoners
Other education Not categorised elsewhere, including library use of more than 30 minutes
Work
Prison maintenance work Support to works and maintenance staff around the prison
Wing cleaning work Cleaning work on wings
Other prison cleaning and orderly work Cleaning and orderly work around the prison other than on domestic wings
Industries/production workshops (PES workshops on Regime Monitoring system) Employment in production or industrial workshops such as textiles tailors,

laundries, plastics, woodwork contract services etc. (Any workshop that is predominately production based)

Agricultural business Employment in prison farms, market gardens
Gardens amenity Employment on prison gardens
Kitchen Preparation or serving of food in prison kitchens, hotplate/serveries

or messes

Other occupations Employment not categorised elsewhere (e.g. clothing exchange store workers,

administrative clerks, barbers, paid community work)

Resettlement
Induction Prison induction courses
Maintaining safe and secure environment Primary objective of activity relates to institutional behaviour, e.g. suicide

awareness, anti-bullying

Sentence planning, parole interviews, other assessments with the prisoner not categorized elsewhere Activity to define the composition of prisoner regimes
Accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes (OBPs) KPI accredited courses
Non accredited OBPs Any other programmes not categorised elsewhere
Tackling substance abuse Interviews, assessments, individual or grouped drug or alcohol programmes,

including CARATS assessments

IDPR Inmate Development and Pre-Release training
Other resettlement and offending behaviour activity not covered Probation, personal officer, PLU officer work. Job club and other

employment advice. Accommodation advice or information. Specialist work, including probation or CAB

Family, social Visits, earned community visits, compassionate licence
Temporary release on resettlement licence Count up to eight hours per day if the time has not been categorized

elsewhere

Other purposeful activities
Health education clinics and promotion Including, for example, well-man clinics and cancer awareness sessions but

excluding medical treatment

Voluntary work Including sessions with external agencies not covered elsewhere
Other facility licence not covered elsewhere
Chaplaincy All faith religious activities including services, classes, pastoral visits and

organised prayers

Recreational sporting activities Activities organised in addition to the establishment PE programme and

supervised by non-PE staff

John Austin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed and by whom in the delivery of Counselling Assessment, Referral, Advice and Through-care services in each(a) Prison Service establishment and (b) privately run establishment. [174345]

Paul Goggins

Information on the number of counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare service (CARATs) workers is not collected routinely and may be subject to change. A table showing a survey of prisons conducted in January 2004 has been placed in the Library.

The following table shows a fuller description of all the activities that are drawn together to constitute the overall purposeful activity measure:

Tom Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Northern Irish prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales have been transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. [174487]

Paul Goggins

In 2001, 18 prisoners were transferred from prisons in England and Wales to prisons in Northern Ireland; 10 prisoners were transferred in 2002. Because of population pressures in Northern Ireland only one prisoner was transferred in 2003. Nevertheless, applications are processed in the normal way and prisoners are transferred when a space becomes available.

Tom Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the open prisons in England and Wales for(a) males inmates and (b) female inmates. [174489]

Paul Goggins

The following prisons in England and Wales had open units for male inmates on 31 March 2004; Ford, Grendon/Spring Hill, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, Moorland Open, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Thorn Cross, Usk/Prescoed and Wealstun.

The following prisons in England and Wales had open units for female inmates on 31 March 2004; Askham Grange and East Sutton Park.