HC Deb 05 December 1980 vol 995 c201W
Mr. O'Halloran

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what currently are the lowest and highest rates of prisoners' weekly earnings.

Mr. Brittan

Prisoners' weekly earnings vary between nil and £3.85 a week.

Mr. O'Halloran

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for the latest date for which figures are available, how many prisoners were unable to work because work could not be provided;

(2) what is the rate currently paid to prisoners unable to work because work cannot be provided.

Mr. Brittan

Before the prison officers' current industrial action there was no significant lack of work to give to prisoners, but for various reasons, for example, shortage of staff, many inmates normally required to work were unemployed. The precise number of these is not readily available. Unemployed inmates are normally paid at the rate of 95p a week, but during the industrial action are being paid the average of their previous earnings.