Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of prisoners who can be accommodated in each of the prisons in Scotland in reasonable conditions of comfort and security; and how many
Accommodation Population at 2nd January, 1968 Prison Male Female Total Male Female Total Aberdeen … … 148 3 151 179 2 181 Dumfries … … 15 4 19 15 — 15 Edinburgh … … 337 12 349 459 7 466 Barlinnie* … … 790 — 790 1,152 — 1,152 Greenock … … 32 107 139 17 56 73 Inverness … … 62 3 65 31 — 31 Penninghame … … 60 — 60 62 — 62 Perth … … 424 4 428 480 1 481 Peterhead … … 355 — 355 417 — 417 2,223 133 2,356 2,812 66 2,878 * Excludes young offenders and accommodation occupied by them.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans he has to improve the workshop and hospital facilities in Barlinnie Prison l and how much capital spending will be incurred on this work in 1968.
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§ Mr. Ross:The Remand Home (Scotland) Rules, 1964 enable the Secretary of State to specify the number of children and young persons who may be accommodated in a remand home, but also permit this number to be exceeded in exceptional circumstances. The specified number for each remand home in Scotland and the actual number accommodated on 30th September, 1967 the latest date for which figures are available—are given in the table below.
prisoners were in each prison at the most recent date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Ross:The following table shows the normal capacity of the Scottish prisons and their actual population on 2nd January, 1968.
§ Mr. Ross:New workshed accommodation of 60,000 square feet is to be erected. Preliminary work during this year will cost £20,000; the programme for completion cannot yet be estimated. Hospital improvements are included in 691W the overall development plans for Barlinnie to follow work at present in hand on extension of the wall and the new worksheds.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many additional prison places will be provided in Scotland in 1968; and what plans he has for additional prisons in 1969 and in later years.
§ Mr. Ross:The prison building programme will provide 250 additional places in 1968. Most of the new places will be occupied by offenders under 21, but as a result of consequential transfers I expect to provide 30 additional places for adult prisoners at Dumfries, about 80 at Barlinnie, and 70 at Perth. In addition, a proposal to provide between 200 and 300 places on a temporary basis by adapting a former R.A.F. camp at Bishopbriggs is to be the subject of a public inquiry at the end of this month.
Further major development depends on entirely new establishments, of which three, to provide about 1,000 places, are in course of preliminary planning. Sites for two of these have been acquired and a third is under negotiation. In each case the intended development will be advertised and an opportunity given to put forward objections. The three sites are at Westquarter in Stirlingshire, Shotts in Larnarkshire, and Wishaw.