HC Deb 25 April 1985 vol 77 cc501-2W
Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the variety of fresh fruit offered to prisoners at Holloway prison on a daily and weekly basis; and how its availability compares with that available two years ago.

Mr. Mellor

A cash extras allowance is allocated in respect of each prison inmate, and some proportion of the allowance must be spent each week on fresh fruit for all inmates. The type and amount of fruit to be purchased are left to local discretion and inmates' preferences are taken into account when this is practicable. This arrangement is common to all penal establishments and has not changed in the last two years.

Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of prisoners at Holloway prison kept in their cells for (a) more than 10 hours a day and (b) 20 hours or more a day; and for what reasons they are so kept.

Mr. Mellor

These numbers change from day to day according to the availability of staff, but most prisoners at Holloway spend more than 10 hours a day in their cells. We believe that the prisoners at Holloway should be enabled to spend more time out of their cells and to have access to a variety of activities, and the committee which we announced on 12 December is specifically asked to consider how to achieve this.

Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department by how many hours a day workshops and gymnasium facilities at Holloway prison are under-used; and what are the reasons for under-use.

Mr. Mellor

In the four-week period ending 19 April staff shortages at Holloway led to the cancellation of 15 out of 48 scheduled two-hour gymnasium sessions. For the same reason, prison workshops were operational for 25 out of a possible maximum of 252 hours.