§ Mrs. PeacockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being contemplated to reduce the number of prison disturbances and escapes.
§ Mr. John PattenAll such incidents are the subject of review and debriefing; lessons learnt inform policy, guidance and procedures at all levels. Our main programme for the reduction of overcrowding and the improvement of physical conditions through the prison building and refurbishment schemes, together with new conditions of service and working methods under fresh start, will underpin the more specific measures taken following the report of Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons on the major disturbances in spring 1986.