HC Deb 15 May 1989 vol 153 cc99-102W
Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the complement of medical officers at the Risley remand centre; what is the actual number of staff in post; and if he will give comparable figures for(a) five years ago and (b) 10 years ago.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The information is as follows:

Authorised strength Staff in Post
1 January 1979
One Senior Medical Officer 1
Four Medical Officers (full-time) 3
Two Medical Officers (part-time) 2
1 January 1984
One Senior Medical Officer 1
Three Medical Officers (full-time) 2
Two Medical Officers (part-time) 2
1 January 1989 (to date)
One Senior Medical Officer 1
Three Medical Officers (full-time) 2
Two Medical Officers (part-time) 2

Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make further funds available for the prison department to train medical officers.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The funds available in the present financial year for in-service training of prison medical officers will enable the Department to maintain a programme broadly commensurate with that undertaken in 1988–89. Many of the training needs of this specialist group are best met by facilitating attendance at externally organised courses. The financial allocation to the director of prison medical services to meet the cost of course fees of health care staff, including medical officers, will allow for expansion of this important area of training. Governors, who are responsible for meeting some of the travel and subsistence costs of training for field staff, have been reminded that specialist training is a high priority.

Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the numbers of inmates in the Risley remand centre known to have received in-patient treatment for psychiatric illness(a) 10 years ago, (b) five years ago and (c) in 1988.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

I regret such statistics are not routinely collated and are not available in respect of past years.

Mr. Redmond

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by prison and remand centre in England and Wales(a) the number of permanent nursing staff in post and (b) where these are below establishment post and by how many; what recruitment programmes are in progress or being planned; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

The latest available staffing information is given in the following table. A national campaign to recruit men and women with a nursing qualification to train as hospital officers is planned for the near future. Further campaigns will be mounted as necessary. Twenty-three nurses already so recruited are in training. In addition, 75 prison officers have been accepted for hospital officer training. Further volunteers will be sought as required. Locally targeted campaigns to recruit nurses for Holloway prison and Risley remand centre are being progressed separately.

Establishment Approved strength Staff in Post Vacancies
Acklington 5 6
Albany 5 4 1
Aldington 2 2
Ashford' 15 13 2
Ashwell 2 2
Askham Grange 8.5 8 0.5
Aylesbury 4 3 1
Bedford1 10 9 1
Birmingham1 31 27 4
Blantyre House 2 2
Blundeston 5 4 1
Bristol1 18 16 2
Brixton1 93 64 29
Brockhill/Hewell Grange1 7 6 1
Buckley Hall 2 2
Bullwood Hall 11 8 3
Camp Hill 6 6
Canterbury1 10 7 3
Cardiff1 16 17
Channings Wood 4 4
Chelmsford1 15 14 1
Coldingley 4 4
Cookham Wood 5 4 1
Dartmoor 11 10 1
Deerbolt 4 4
Dorchester1 3 3

Establishment Approved strength Staff in post Vacancies
Dover 3 3
Drake Hall 9 7 2
Durham1 27 27
Down View1 6 2 4
East Sutton Park 2.5 2.5
Eastwood Park 2 2
Erlestoke 2 2
Everthorpe 4 4
Exeter1 13 13
Featherstone 3 3
Feltham 30 25 5
Ford 4 4
Frankland 14 12 2
Full Sutton 10 10
Gartree 12 11
Garth 7 7
Glen Parva1 29 27 2
Gloucester1 5 5
Grendon/Spring Hill 55 37.5 17.5
Guys Marsh 2 2
Haslar 2 2
Hatfield 2 2
Haverigg 3 3
Highpoint 8 8
Hindley1 8 7 1
Hollesley Bay 6 5 1
Holloway1 84 48.5 35.5
Hull1 18 17 1
Huntercombe/Finnamore Wood 4 3 1
Kingston-Portsmouth 2 2
Kirkham 2 2
Kirklevington 2 2
Lancaster 2 2
Latchmere House1 2 2
Leeds1 25 25
Leicester1 12 12
Lewes1 13 13
Leyhill 3 2 1
Lincoln1 21 19 2
Littlehey 10 9 1
Liverpool1 49 44 5
Long Lartin 7 7
Lowdham Grange 2 2
Low Newton1 10 10
Lindholme 10 9 1
Maidstone 8 6 2
Manchester1 35 32 3
The Mount 6 5 1
New Hall1 10 6 4
Northallerton 2 2
Northeye 4 4
North Sea Camp 1 1
Norwich1 26 25 1
Nottingham 3 3
Onley 3 3
Oxford/Campsfield House1 8 5 3
Parkhurst 50 50
Pentonville1 20 20
Preston1 6 6
Pucklechurch1 16 11 5
Ranby 3 3
Reading1 7 7
Risley1 50 43 7
Rochester1 12 11 1
Rudgate 2 2
Send 2 2
Shepton Mallet 2 2
Shrewsbury1 3 3
Stafford 15 15
Standford Hill/Swaleside 11 9 2
Stoke Heath 4 2 2
Styal 16 13 3
Sudbury/Foston Hall 4 4
Swansea1 9 9
Swinfen Hall 3 3

Establishment Approved strength Staff in post Vacancies
Thorn Cross 3 3
Thorp Arch 2 2
Usk 2 2
The Verne/Portland 4 4
Wakefield 24 24
Wandsworth1 48 40 8
Wellingborough 5 5
Werrington 2 2
Wetherby 2 2
Whatton 3 3
Winchester1 21 21
Wormwood Scrubs1 27 23 4
Wymott 6 5
Wayland 4 3
1 Establishments taking unconvicted/unsentenced prisoners or Immigration Act detainees.