§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list in the Official Report (1) how many prisoners have been in the Wakefield Control Unit since it was opened, including those already there, (2) the periods over which they have 378W been detained there, (3) the prisons from which they have been transferred, and (4) the criteria he uses in authorising transfer to control units.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe answers are (1) six; (2) 180 days; 186; 226; 156; 156; and 156 days; (3) Hull Prison; (4) the criteria used prior to 24th October when the control unit was closed were explained in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Mr. Graham) on 14th November 1974—[Vol. 881, c.195–6.]—and set out in detail in documents which I placed in the Library of the House later that month.
§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to make a statement about communication between people in prison establishments and Members of Parliament.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsAs I indicated in replies to Questions on 5th August to my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire West (Mr. Watkinson) and on 16th October to my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock (Mr. Roberts) I am anxious that communication between prisoners and Members should be as free as possible. I also recognise the legitimate interest that prison staff, whose associations I have consulted, have in this matter. I am now making the following changes.
First, a letter to a Member will no longer be stopped or sent back to the writer for amendment unless it contains a complaint about the administration of an establishment or the actions of staff that has not been raised and considered through the normal internal procedure. Secondly, a visit to a prisoner by a Member, acting in his capacity as a Member, will no longer be within hearing of prison staff, unless the Member so requests, or there are specific reasons of security, as in the case of prisoners in security category "A" who form less than 1 per cent. of the prison population.
It is clearly desirable that Members should, on these occassions, give prisoners no encouragement to circumvent the well-established procedures for enabling complaints against prison administration and staff to be considered by the governor, the board of visitors, and the Secretary of State. Whether it is a question of 379W matters raised during visits or in correspondence, it is important that the prison authorities should first have an opportunity to inquire into complaints and remedy those that are legitimate. These arrangements are consistent with the principle underlying the Government's response, announced on 5th August, to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights concerning the ability of prisoners to engage in civil litigation.—[Vol. 897, c. 147–148; Vol. 897, c. 1579–1580.]