§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will withdraw the instructions requiring wives of long-term prisoners to produce photographs for identification when visiting Her Majesty's prisons.
§ Mr. CallaghanNo. The instructions apply only to relatives and friends of prisoners in security category A, who at present number fewer than 200. They require the prisoners to submit lists of visitors for approval, and the visitors to provide photographs of themselves to be kept at the prisons for identification purposes. These measures, in accordance with a recommendation by the Advisory Council on the Penal System are necessary for the secure containment of dangerous prisoners. They should also facilitate genuine visits, and wives and other bona fide visitors have nothing to lose or fear by complying with them.