§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what unused capacity there was at Ranby and Preston prisons for category C prisoners on 6 June.
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§ Mr. MellorOn 7 June, the nearest date for which figures are available. Ranby had five vacancies for category C prisoners. The population of Preston exceeded its certified normal accommodation by 163.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Stocken prison will come into use; and what categories of prisoners will be sent there.
§ Mr. MellorIn late July for category C prisoners mainly from the midlands.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department with whom he consults before making decisions about the future of prisons.
§ Mr. MellorThis depends on a number of factors, including the nature of the proposed change and whether planning consent is required from the local authority.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the capacity of B wing at Hull prison for juveniles; how many juveniles it is proposed will be transferred there under the plans set out in his answer of 5 June, Official Report, columns 157–58; and from where they will come.
§ Mr. MellorB wing at Hull has a certified normal accommodation of 102. It would take all the juveniles currently committed to Thorp Arch, of whom on 19 June there were 61.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used for the reclassification of category B prisoners into category C; and how many such reclassifications there have been in Leeds and Hull prisons in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. MellorThe downgrading of prisoners from one security category to another is conducted on the basis of individual assessments applying the same standards as for the original categorisation. New factors, such as greater maturity, may also be taken into account.
The number of prisoners recategorised at Leeds and Hull during the past five years is not recorded centrally.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young persons on remand or awaiting allocation were held in each of Leeds and Hull prisons on 31 January 1985 and 11 June 1985, respectively.
§ Mr. MellorOn 31 January, Leeds held 197 unsentenced and 85 sentenced prisoners aged under 21. On 14 June, the nearest date for which figures are available centrally, it held 152 unsentenced and 156 sentenced prisoners aged under 21.
Hull does not at present hold young offenders.
§ Mr. Batisteasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many category C prisoners were in Leeds and Hull prisons, showing the figures separately, on (a) 30 November 1984, (b) 31 January 1985, (c) 31 March 1985,(d) 31 May 1985 and (e) 11 June 1985, respectively.
§ Mr. MellorThe information available centrally is shown in the following table:280W
Date Number of Category C prisoners Leeds Hull 5 November 1984 286 24 5 February 1985 212 28 3 May 1985 298 40
§ Mr. Berminghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current population at Morton Hall prison.
§ Mr. MellorOne hundred and twenty seven on 21 June.
§ Mr. Berminghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which prisons the prisoners at Morton Hall prison have been transferred; and how many were from each establishment.
§ Mr. MellorThe first 50 were transferred from Ashwell, Sudbury and Ranby; the remainder have been allocated from the local prisons at Leicester, Lincoln and Birmingham and from other training prisons following recategorisation. The exact numbers are not held centrally.
§ Mr. Berminghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current staffing level at Morton Hall prison.
§ Mr. MellorThe staffing level varies according to the level of prison activity at different times of the day or week. At its busiest, the highest number of staff on duty in all grades would be about 45. The overall total of staff employed on 21 June, including night patrols and 10 part-time education staff, some of whom attend in the evenings only, was 59.
§ Mr. Berminghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which prisons staff have been withdrawn in order to staff Morton Hall prison; and how many were from each establishment.
§ Mr. MellorThe staff needed are being provided either by recruitment or by transfer or detached duty from other establishments. The other prison department establishments affected by detached duty may change from time to time, but on 21 June the position was that there were 16 full-time permanent staff, including the governor who has been transferred from Wellingborough, and 10 part-time permanent teaching staff. There were 33 staff in all grades on detached duty from other establishments as listed:
Number Ashwell 2 Aylesbury 1 Birmingham 4 Gartree 2 Glen Parva 2 Hewell Grange 2 Lincoln 2 Lowdham Grange 3 Onley 2 Ranby 1 Shrewsbury 1 Stafford 2 Stocken 3 Sudbury 2 Swinfen Hall 1 Whatton 3