HC Deb 24 October 1979 vol 972 c175W
Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances a prisoner is required to have a light on in his or her cell all night.

Mr. Brittan

A dim amber light is kept on at night in the cell of an inmate regarded as a potential escaper, to allow staff to observe that the inmate is present. In addition, governors may permit other inmates whose presence must regularly be checked overnight—for example category "A" inmates and potential suicides—to have a light on continuously, rather than have one switched on and off at each check; and in prison hospitals low-intensity lights are normally provided and used in single rooms and wards to aid observation.