§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the annual wage bill for prisoners at the present time; what the net cost is after administration charges are taken into account; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggExpenditure on the earnings of inmates in prison service establishments in England and Wales is forecast to be approximately £6.25 million in the240W financial year 1988–89. The cost of administering the earnings schemes is not separately identified in the operating costs of establisments. As my right hon. Friend explained in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Dr. Goodson-Wickes) on 8 March, at columns 541–42, the current earnings arrangements are to be reviewed.