§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many male and how many female prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 (a) for their own protection and (b) for good order and discipline.
§ Mr. MellorThe most up-to-date information centrally available on adult convicted males is for 31 August 1984 when:
- (a) 572 were segregated for their own protection;
- (b) 94 for good order and discipline.
Figures are not available for female or for male unconvicted prisoners.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if any action has been taken to set up a specialist unit for rule 43 prisoners in the north of England, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in 1981;
(2) whether any more specialist units for rule 43 prisoners, similar to those at Maidstone and Gloucester, are planned.
§ Mr. MellorIn addition to units at Gloucester, Maidstone and Wakefield prisons, it is planned to open a further special unit at Parkhurst prison to which prisoners serving long sentences who are segregated under rule 43 for their own protection may be transferred to enable them to resume association with other prisoners. The unit will be operated on lines similar to those described in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' report 1981. I accept that an increase in provision in the north of England would provide a better geographical balance of accommodation, but it has not so far been possible to identify a suitable location because of the constraints upon accommodation generally. We shall continue to keep the position under review.
The hon. Member may also wish to note that units for vulnerable prisoners have now been set up at Gartree and Albany prisons: allocation to these facilities is not at present managed centrally.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any action has been taken, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in 1981, to transfer segregated prisoners to other prisons where they are not known and where it might be possible for them to relinquish rule 43 status.
§ Mr. MellorIt is our policy that all cases of prisoners segregated under prison rule 43 should be reviewed at132W regular intervals. Prison governors are required to submit reports to regional offices of the prison department on prisoners segregated under rule 43 for their own protection at monthly intervals making recommendations for future action and in doing so are required to consider whether it would be possible to enable the prisoner to be removed from rule 43 by means of transfer to another establishment. In the prison department's reply to the report of the Chief Inspector of Prisons for 1981, it was promised that consideration would be given to enabling transfers to take place between, as well as within, regions. Arrangements for such transfers have since been developed between all four regions of the prison department.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fewer prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 than when the Chief Inspector of Prisons reported on the matter in 1981.
§ Mr. MellorThe inspectorate report stated that 714 convicted adult males were segregated for their own protection in July 1981. Comparable figures for July 1984 show 578, a reduction of 136. The most recently available figure is for August 1984 at which time the number was 572.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently segregated under rule 43 at Leeds prison.
§ Mr. MellorOn 22 March 1985 the figures for prisoners segregated under rule 43 at Leeds prison were as follows:
Number For their own protection unconvicted 16 convicted 45 61 For reasons of good order and discipline unconvicted 4 convicted 1 5
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any action has been taken to improve the physical conditions, in particular the plumbing and sanitary arrangements, of accommodation for segregated prisoners at Durham prison.
§ Mr. MellorA programme of refurbishing all the existing recesses at Durham prison is currently under way. Some improvements to the drainage facilities in A wing, where segregated prisoners are accommodated, have already been undertaken. Further improvements to the recesses on this wing will be carried out over the next year.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if segregated prisoners have now been allocated a separate area at Birmingham prison;
(2) whether all young offenders segregated under rule 43 at Birmingham prison now have access to the prison's education facilities.
§ Mr. MellorI shall reply as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether steps have been taken to ensure 133W that the authorisation procedure for rule 43 prisoners is properly followed in all establishments, as recommended by the Chief Inspector of Prisons.
§ Mr. MellorRecommendations concerning the need to adhere to the procedures laid down for authorising the segregation of prisoners under rule 43 of the prison rules have been made by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in a number of reports on individual establishments. It is primarily the responsibility of the governor to ensure that these recommendations are followed. However, where the Chief Inspector has made recommendations of this nature, compliance with the procedures is monitored in the course of routine operational assessments by regional offices of the prison department. It has also been monitored through a series of follow-up visits by the deputy director general of the prison service to establishments which have been inspected and I understand that in general observance of the procedures has been found to be satisfactory.