§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of people held in prison in England and Wales, both on remand and those serving a sentence, in 1979 and in the latest year available.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggAverage population figures tor each of the last 11 years are published annually in "Prison Statistics England and Wales", copies of which are in the Library. Populations for 1987 will appear in table 1.5 of the latest report (Cm. 547) due to be published 22 December.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when construction of the new psychiatric wing at Holloway prison is planned to begin.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggNo date for the start of construction work has been fixed.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners do not currently have access to night sanitation; and what is his estimate of what the number will be in the year 2000.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggAll accommodation at new prisons has access to night sanitation. At existing establishments the number of Places now without access to night sanitation is in excess of 20,000 out of a total of about 42,000. It is anticipated that by 1995 75 per cent. of all prison places will have access to sanitation, compared with 43 per cent. in 1979, and that by the end of 1999 the number of places lacking night sanitation will he in the region of 14,000. Trial schemes which might accelerate the introduction of integral sanitation are being evaluated.
§ Mr. MealeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are accommodated(a) two to a cell and (b) three to a cell in prison accommodation designed for single occupancy.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggOn 13 November, the latest date for which information is available, 12,210 inmates of prison establishments in England and Wales were held two to a cell and 4,893 were held three to a cell, in cells designed for single occupancy.
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§ Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of prisoners who will spend Christmas and new year in police cells; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdThe number of prisoners in police cells has been in steep decline since the suspension of local industrial action by the POA in October. On 4 October there were 1,917 such prisoners. Yesterday there were 349. By the Christmas weekend, numbers should have fallen still further and we are aiming to achieve a reduction to around 100 by the new year. This reflects a major effort by all concerned and is largely due to the delivery on target of the substantial extra number of prison places which I announced in March.