HC Deb 19 June 1973 vol 858 cc97-101W
Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many attempted suicides have taken place at the Risley remand centre in each of the past five years;

(2) how many attempted suicides at Risley involved persons under 18 years of age.

Mr. Carlisle

The available information is given in the following table:

Males Females
1968 Not available Not available
1969 38 2
1970 20 —
1971 20 1
1972 5 —

Information to show the ages of the persons concerned is not readily available.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many deaths have occurred at Risley concerning persons on remand in each of the past five years;

(2) how many persons on remand committed suicide in each of the past five years at Risley;

(3) if he will list in the OFFICIAL REPORT the causes of death to persons on remand at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

There were four deaths at Risley in 1968, three the result of suicide by hanging and one the result of an abnormal reaction to a paraldehyde injection. There were two deaths as a result of suicide by hanging in 1969. There was none in the years 1970, 1971 or 1972.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is satisfied with the medical facilities at Risley; and if he will make a statement;

(2) how many medical staff are employed at Risley at the latest convenient date.

Mr. Carlisle

There are separate hospitals for men and boys and for women and girls, and the medical staff comprises a senior medical officer, four full-time medical officers, two part-time medical officers, a chief pharmacist, a principal nursing sister, two senior nursing sisters, 10 nursing sisters, 20 hospital officers, and two women nursing auxilliaries. There is a visiting dentist, venereologist and optician. The men's hospital comprises three open wards and 24 single rooms; six additional rooms which are specially designed for patients who are seriously disturbed; the necessary rooms for interviews and examination, including X-ray and EEG facilities; and a fully equipped pharmacy and dental surgery. The women's hospital has 12 rooms including five single rooms; there are four rooms for women who are seriously disturbed, and one for epileptics. Patients who are in need of treatment which cannot be provided in the remand centre are transferred to National Health Service hospitals or to the surgical unit at Liverpool prison hospital. I am satisfied that these arrangements are adequate.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many complaints he has received concerning inadequate medical facilities at Risley;

(2) how many complaints he has received concerning ill treatment of prisoners at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

Records are not kept in a way which would enable these Questions to be answered without disproportionate cost.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attacks took place on prison officers at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

My noble Friend the Minister of State is obtaining such information as is available and will write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits have been made by officials of his Department to Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

Details are not readily available of every occasional visit to Risley by an officer of the Department. The following figures relate to general visits by relatively senior officials of the Department (including the regional offices) as recorded by the governor; where a group of officials has visited for a particular purpose, this is counted as one visit:

In 1968 23 visits
In 1969 27 visits
In 1970 23 visits
In 1971 18 visits
In 1972 25 visits

Up to mid-June there have been 13 visits in 1973.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average length of detention at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

I regret that this information is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young persons under 16 years of age have been detained at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

My noble Friend the Minister of State is obtaining such information as is available and will write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits were made by official prison visitors to Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

I assume that the hon. Member is referring to visits by members of the board of visitors or by members of the visiting committee during the period before 1st January 1972. The board meets every month and a rota provides for at least one member to visit between meetings. The number of rota visits made by members of the board or committee in each of the past five years is as follows:

1968 48
1969 44
1970 41
1971 51
1972 52
1973 24
(to 15th June)
Members have made additional visits for various purposes, but the number could not be ascertained without disproportionate cost.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been approved as official visitors to Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

During the period 1968–1971 the visiting committee normally comprised 12 members. The board of visitors which replaced it comprises 16 members.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the establishment of prison officers at Risley in each of the past five years;

(2) how many prison officers have been employed at Risley in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

The approved establishment figure was 192 at the beginning of the period and was increased to 336 in 1970. This is at present under review. The rapid expansion of the prison service in England and Wales in recent years has made it impracticable to maintain regular reviews of establishment figures throughout the service and it has been the practice to allocate additional prison officers, as they become available, according to relative need.

The following table shows the numbers in post at Risley remand centre at the end of each of the last five years:

1968 235
1969 250
1970 283
1971 306
1972 328

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the permitted number of persons on remand at Risley remand centre;

(2) what is the highest number of persons held on remand at Risley during the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

There is normal accommodation for 535 men and 91 women without overcrowding. The highest population was 939 males (reached in 1970) and 119 females (reached in 1971). There is no fixed maximum.

Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the average number of persons on remand at Risley demand centre in each of the past five years.

Mr. Carlisle

The following table shows the average number of persons detained in the centre in each of the past five years:

Males Females
1968 481 48
1969 578 63
1970 692 82
1971 666 97
1972 (provisional) 708 91