§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has for changes in the detention centre system.
§ Mr. WhitelawI have decided to extend the tougher regimes pilot project by the autumn to Foston Hall junior detention centre in Derbyshire and Haslar senior detention centre in Hampshire.
To take account of the growing pressures in recent years on detention centre places, I am also planning to make accommodation available for senior detention centre 214W trainees at Guys Marsh borstal in Dorset and at the borstal and detention centre at Hollesley Bay Colony in Suffolk, and to redesignate the senior detention centre at Blantyre House, Kent as a junior detention centre.
Both the extension of the pilot project and the changes in accommodation will require adjustments to the committal areas of detention centres. A circular giving details of the revised committal areas will be sent to the courts in due course.
The pilot project will remain in operation at New Hall and Send detention centres. Minor modifications have been made to the timetables there, primarily to improve continuity in the programmes for work. I have at present no plans for further changes to the regimes at those centres.