HC Deb 19 December 1983 vol 51 cc77-8W
Mr. McQuarrie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what additional time factor is now required by Scottish prison officers in the censoring of incoming and outgoing mail; and in what manner this has affected the normal duties carried out by prison officers.

Mr. Ancram

The new correspondence arrangements for prisoners introduced on 1 August this year relaxed previous instructions by widening the range of permitted correspondents but departmental guidance stressed that the purposes of examining correspondence were to check that the contents did not include forbidden matters and to establish quickly that the correspondence contained nothing unusual that warranted closer reading, though there will always be some inmates whose correspondence has to be thoroughly read.

There are therefore more letters, but less rigorous examination of the bulk of them. My Department has received no formal representations that this has led to unreasonable increased demands on prison officers' time or otherwise affected their normal duties.

Mr. McQuarrie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland in which Scottish prisons overcrowding is occurring; and what steps are being taken to remedy the situation.

Mr. Ancram

Significant overcrowding in Scottish prisons is currently confined to Edinburgh and Barlinnie prisons and to Longriggend remand unit. If the inmate population remains at its present level, overcrowding should be resolved by the provision of 180 additional inmate places on completion of the redevelopment of Greenock prison and 468 further places on completion of phase II of Shotts prison.

Mr. McQuarrie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the financial input to each of the Scottish prisons in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and an estimate for 1983.

Mr. Ancram

Expenditure at each penal establishment in Scotland in the years 1981–82 and 1982–83 is given in the following table. Figures for 1979–80 and 1980–81 are not available and it is not possible to give an estimated breakdown for the current year.

1981–82 1982–83
£ £
Aberdeen prison 1,165,325 1,553,143
Barlinnie prison 5,569,236 6,057,557
Castle Huntly borstal 993,245 973,087
Corton Vale institution 2,127,300 2,344,906
Dumfries young offenders institution 1,205,836 1,472,968
Dungavel prison 1,108,805 1,145,192
Edinburgh prison 4,249,162 5,310,376
Friarton young offenders institution 557,605 680,831
Glenochil young offenders institution and detention centre 4,199,177 4,917,355
Greenock prison 398,587 1,075,980
Inverness prison 921,034 1,050,375
Longriggend remand institution 1,480,808 1,698,603
Low Moss prison 1,217,537 1,690,081
Noranside borstal 701,941 835,589
Penninghame prison 565,571 643,125
Perth prison 3,484,783 3,673,531
Peterhead prison 3,328,218 3,631,337
Polmont borstal 2,910,909 3,644,361
Shotts prison 960,141 1,113,657
Total 37,145,220 43,512,554