§ Mr. LUNNasked the Home Secretary what basis is employed in deciding the per article rates applied to the labour of prisoners confined in His Majesty's prisons and convict prisons; and how a comparison is made with the value of work performed outside prisons?
§ Mr. SHORTTAs the hon. Member is no doubt aware, articles are made in prison only for Government Departments, and it is not, therefore, necessary to fix sale prices. For the purpose of the annual statistics the value of prisoners' labour is reckoned on a basis settled some time ago by a Departmental Committee, and revised from time to time by comparison with outside rates.