HC Deb 26 July 1985 vol 83 c816W
Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals the Prison Board has to provide alternative activities to replace time out of cells lost by workshop closures.

Mr. Mellor

These proposals will be formulated in the course of the review which my right hon. and learned Friend announced on 12 July in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Mr. Wheeler) at column560.

Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officer instructor posts and supervisory disciplinary posts he estimates will be lost through the closure of prison workshops; what are the current costs of these posts; what is the establishment in each of these grades: and, at the latest convenient date, how many officers were placed in each grade.

Mr. Mellor

On 30 June 1985 there were 1,046 uniform and civilian instructors of all grades in post against a total authorised complement of 1,253, at a total annual cost of £15.6 million. There are no central records of the number of discipline officers tasked to supervise workshops.

It is not possible to assess the number of posts which will be lost until the review which my right hon. and learned Friend announced on 12 July in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Mr. Wheeler) at column 560 has been completed.

Mr. Corbett

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to comply with the European standard minimum rules on the treatment of prisoners regarding work of a useful nature to keep prisoners actively employed for a normal working day in the light of the planned closure of prison workshops.

Mr. Mellor

The review which my right hon. and learned Friend has commissioned requires the Prison Department to examine on the ground how the present network of industrial workshops could be rationalised, while retaining the existing level of work and related activity for inmates. The European standard minimum rules will be kept in mind in the course of that review.