Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state the number of prisoners who have escaped during each of the last five years, and the number who are still at large; how far the escapes are due to lack of staff or help from outside; and whether, in view of public anxiety and the waste of money involved, he will take more effective steps to prevent such escapes.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI regret that detailed information for 1954 is not readily available, but the total number of escapes in that year was 73. From 1st January, 1955 to 30th September, 1958, the number of escapes was as follows:
— 1955 1956 1957 1958 (to 30.9) Closed prisons: from security 11 22 15 36 from outside* 41 25 57 45 Medium security prisons 17 23 17 8 Open prisons 18 46 76 50 * i.e. from working parties, outside hospitals, in transit, parole, etc. The number of prisoners unlawfully at large on a recent date was 13.
In general I do not think that escapes can be said to be due to lack of staff. Outside help is known to have been given in a very small number of cases; to what extent it was available in others it is impossible to say.
I have put in train measures designed to improve security.