§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now end the practice of holding mentally disturbed persons on remand in Brixton.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe prison service is obliged to hold people who are remanded in custody by the courts, and it is the function of Brixton to deal with remand prisoners and trials from the London area. It is nevertheless the Government's policy that mentally disordered offenders should be diverted from the criminal justice system to the care of the health and social services except when custody is deemed to be in the public interest. This policy is reiterated in Home Office circular 66/70, a copy of which is in the Library.
Where custody cannot be avoided maximum use is made of the Mental Health Act to transfer those mentally disturbed inmates who require hospital treatment.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is (i) the number of inmates,350W (ii) the number on remand separately distinguishing the length in months they have been remanded, and (iii) the number serving sentences of longer than six months at (a) Cardiff and (b) Swansea prisons.
§ Mrs. Rumbold(a) On 5 December 1990, the latest date for which this information is readily available, there were 438 inmates in Cardiff prison of which 206 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is as set out in the table:
Number Up to 3 months 159 4 to 6 months 44 7 to 9 months 0 Over 9 months 3 The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37.
(b) On 5 December, the latest date for which this information is available, there were 266 inmates in Swansea prison, of which 98 were on remand. The length in months for which they have been remanded is set out in the table:
Number Up to 3 months 73 4 to 6 months 22 7 to 9 months 3 Over 9 months 0 The number of inmates serving longer than six months is 37.