§ Major GLYNasked the Secretary for Scotland whether he will consider the advisability of appointing a matron, trained in nursing, to the staff of the Borstal institution in Scotland; and whether he will, taking into consideration that the institution is intended to be more of a school under very strict discipline than a prison, consult the Prison Commissioners of Scotland with a view to altering the conditions of service and uniform of those charged with the supervision of the inmates and removing that staff, whilst so employed, from the ordinary prison warder establishment?
§ Mr. MUNROSanction has recently been obtained for the appointment of a matron at Polmont Institution, and the Prison Commissioners are considering the selection of a suitable person to fill the post. I will consult the Prison Commissioners regarding the second part of the question.
§ Major GLYNasked the Secretary for Scotland whether, under the new conditions, Irish boys sentenced for periods of detention in the Borstal institution in Scotland may be transferred to Ireland to undergo their sentences, thus relieving the taxpayers of Great Britain of that expense; and whether he is aware of the considerable percentage of Irish inmates who are at present detained at the Polmont institution?
§ Mr. MUNROIt is the case that a considerable number of inmates in this institution are of Irish extraction. In view of the fact that the offences for which they were sentenced were committed in Scotland, I can see no justification for their transfer to Ireland. I would further point out that in many cases these lads have parents or other relatives living in Scotland who would be unable to visit them if they were transferred.