§ Mr. Barry Fieldasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to bring A and D wings at Parkhurst prison, Isle of Wight, back into use; how long these wings have remained unused; why they are 143W unused; why, and when, they were rewired; what was the cost of rewiring them; when and why these wings were reroofed; and what was the cost of reroofing them.
§ Mr. John PattenA and D wings have been out of use since a roof top demonstration in March 1979. Damage caused by this demonstration necessitated immediate repair of the roof to prevent rapid deterioration of the whole building. These repairs, which cost £80,000, were completed in July 1979. The vacation of the wings at that time gave the opportunity to undertake electrical work which had already been planned; this work cost about £100,000.
Since the essential repair work was completed, plans for the use of A and D wings have changed and designs have been prepared for a long-term redevelopment scheme which involved their complete modernisation, including the provision of association facillities and integral sanitation. This scheme is now at an advanced stage and will be implemented as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the wings are unused because they are structurally unsound.