§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he proposes to take to reduce the number of remand prisoners in police cells.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThere are more prisoners held in police cells because of industrial action by some branches of the Prison Officers Association. On 29 September, the Home Secretary invited the POA national leaders to work with prison service management to bring a rapid end to industrial action across the prison system and made clear our intention to take vigorous action if a significant improvement was not shortly forthcoming. Encouraging progress has been made. The POA branches in the four prisons recently involved in industrial action have undertaken to end their refusal to admit prisoners and the prisons should start to build up to capacity again this week.
Meanwhile, the measures to produce more prison places which the Home Secretary announced at the end of 14W March are on target. In total, over 2,600 new places have been provided so far, including two new prisons which have opened in the past two months. A further 1,400 places will be delivered by the end of the financial year.