§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any proposals to increase counselling help available for prisoners.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggA wide range of counselling help is available for prisoners which may be provided by seconded probation officers, prison chaplains or ministers of other faiths, medical officers or other doctors including psychiatrists, psychologists, education officers, other prison staff or members of voluntary agencies concerned with specific problems such as alcohol abuse. No new central initiative is currently planned, although the continued development of shared working between probation officers and prison officers will lead to the greater involvement of the latter in the social work and welfare needs of prisoners. A particular recent development has been the training of some Prison Service specialist staff to counsel inmates identified as HIV antibody positive.