§ Sir A. WILSONasked the Home Secretary whether and, if so, what action has been taken to give effect to the recommendations of the report of the Departmental Committee on the Employment of Prisoners (Cmd. 4462, 1933)?
§ Mr. LLOYDActive steps are being taken to reorganise the employment of prisoners on the general lines of the Departmental Committee's report, and this has been facilitated by a considerable increase in the volume of orders from Government Departments during the past year. A Director of Prison Industries was appointed on 1st October, 1934, and he is engaged on a general examination and reorganisation of prison industries and workshops. To assist him in this work three Industrial Managers 1993W are about to be appointed. As staff becomes available the hours during which prisoners work in association are being extended, so as to approximate as nearly as possible to an eight-hour day. The system of payment to prisoners has been extended to all Borstal institutions for lads, and to Maidstone Convict Prison, and is being continued at Wakefield. The question of psychological training for selected Borstal housemasters is under consideration in conjunction with the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. Land has been acquired for a new Borstal institution in Lincolnshire, where work is to be done on reclamation of the salt marshes, additional land has been acquired at Borstal, Exeter, Feltham and Manchester, and negotiations are in progress in regard to additional land for the Borstal institution at Camp Hill.