§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will give a monthly breakdown of strip searches conducted at Armagh prison during 1985 and January 1986 according to reason for search and giving for each month the total number of strip searches and the total number of inmates searched.
§ Mr. ScottFor the month of January 1986, I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 25 February, at column495. The following table sets out the details of the searches conducted at Armagh prison during 1985:
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there are any differences in substance or detail as between men and women prisoners in the procedures used in practice for strip searching in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. ScottStrip searches are carried out on male prisoners in a wider range of circumstances than on females, and the procedures differ in detail.
227WWith male prisoners the search consists of a visual check of the upper and lower parts of the body in turn; no sheet or alternative prison clothing is provided, and the search may take place in a cell, search cubicle or room.
With female inmates the search consists of a visual check either of the upper and lower parts of the body in turn or of the entire body at the choice of the inmate; a top and skirt or a freshly laundered sheet is available for use by female inmates during the searches, which are carried out in a search cubicle affording some degree of privacy.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there are any differences in substance or detail in the procedures used in practice for strip searching in Northern Ireland compared to (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.
§ Mr. ScottI understand that the procedures used in Northern Ireland are similar to those used in Great Britain. However, the procedures in Great Britain are matters for my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Scotland.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what dates drugs were found during strip searches of prisoners in Armagh prison, the names of the drugs in each case, the quantities, and the sources from which they had been obtained.
§ Mr. ScottThe information is as follows:
Date and Quantity and Type of Drug Where found 19 April 1983 15 Valium (5) tablets On the floor of the search cubicle under the prisoner's foot. 2 Serenided tablets 25 June 1985 27 Libraxin (2.5 mg) tablets 12 Librium (5 mg) tablets 1 Buscafen (10 mg) tablet In items of the prisoners' clothing and in parts of the reception area in which she had previously been. 3 Ativan (5 mg) tablets 4 Ativan (2.5 mg) tablets
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at what level of seniority prison officers may, in practice (a) take decisions to strip search prisoners and (b) make suggestions to more senior officers that particular prisoners be strip searched, in Northern Ireland prisons.
§ Mr. ScottThe selection of prisoners for strip searching is done by an officer of at least principal officer rank. Where an officer suspects a prisoner of being in possession of illicit material, a special search may be carried out on the authority of the governor, deputy governor or chief officer.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, in the process of the transfer of prisoners from Armagh prison to Maghaberry prison they will be strip searched on leaving Armagh prison or on reception into Maghaberry prison.
§ Mr. ScottIt would not be appropriate, before the transfers of the women prisoners from Armagh to Maghaberry, to give information about any aspect of the security arrangements affecting the move.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what basis strip searches are conducted in Armagh prison; to what extent randomness is a factor; and what grounds prison officers require before conducting such searches.
228W
§ Mr. ScottStrip searching is an essential security precaution, whose purpose is to detect small items of contraband which can be concealed easily about the body and cannot reliably be detected by other means of searching.
Prisoners at Armagh prison are routinely strip-searched on admission into and when discharged from the prison, when going and returning from home leave and before going on inter-prison visits. On all other occasions, including attendance at court, the searches are carried out on the basis of random selection; this is done so as to avoid any readily discernible pattern of searching. Strip searches may also be carried out in any particular case where an officer has grounds for suspecting a prisoner of possessing any illicit item.