§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the maximum number of prisoners who can be employed in Winson Green prison on any one day.
§ Mr. MellorThree hundred and eighty.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many baths, showers and toilets are available to prisoners in Winson Green prison; how many baths or showers each prisoner is allowed each week; and how many changes of underclothes and outer clothes each prisoner is allowed each week.
§ Mr. MellorThe number of baths, showers and toilets available are as follows:
Number Baths 38 Showers 63 WCs 126 Urinals 89 Each prisoner is normally allowed one shower per week and an additional shower when he makes use of the gymnasium. Additional showers are available for prisoners employed in jobs of a physically dirty nature and on return from court appearances.
When appropriate for medical reasons, a bath is available instead of a shower.
Prisoners at Birmingham have one change of clothes per week consisting of one shirt, two T-shirts, two pairs of socks, two pairs of underpants, two vests. Overclothing is changed as necessary, but on return from court prisoners receive a full kit of clean cloths.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many square feet of exercise space are available to prisoners in Winson Green prison.
§ Mr. MellorForty six thousand square feet in exercise yards and 8,500 sq ft in the gymnasium.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many hours each day, and for what length of time, prisoners are allowed to make use of outside exercise space at Winson Green prison.
§ Mr. MellorThe various exercise yards are in use for two to three hours a day and all prisoners who wish have up to an hours exercise each day. In addition each prisoner is allowed to use the gymnasium once a week if he wishes.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how many hours in the most recent 28W convenient week the workshops in Winson Green prison were open; what was the average number of prisoners employed; how many classes took place and for how many hours; what was the average number of prisoners in each class; and how much time on average each prisoner spent out of his cell during that week.
§ Mr. MellorIn the week commencing 3 November 1986, the workshops were open for 17 hours; an average of 369 prisoners were employed in workshops and on catering, maintenance, cleaning and other domestic tasks; 72 education classes (45 day-time and 27 evening) took place for a total of 144 hours; there were an average of eight prisoners in each class; in addition, a total of 720 prisoners attended physical education classes during the course of the week. It is not practical to calculate the average amount of time spent out of cells since this covers many things apart from work and education including, for example, exercise, association, visits, use of the prison library and canteen and other out-of-cell activities.
§ Mr. Corbettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average population of Winson Green prison, Birmingham, in the most recent convenient week.
§ Mr. MellorPrison population figures are only collected centrally once a week. On 14 November, 1986 HM prison Birmingham held 1,085 prisoners.