§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What accommodation is provided for religious services or meetings of other faiths at each of the prisons in England and Wales.
Earl FerrersThere is no central register of accommodation provided in prisons in England and Wales for services and meetings of other faiths. Governors seek to make appropriate arrangements, taking account of the availability of suitable accommodation and the numbers of adherents of other faiths in the prison.
In new prisons which are being built, a room for other faiths is included in the chaplaincy centre. It is the intention to extend this kind of provision wherever possible. In some older prisons it is already possible to allocate a room for this purpose. In others, part of the Christian chapel is used with the agreement of all concerned, sometimes with curtains or partitions in place to maximise the use of the area. In prisons with only small numbers of members of other faiths, a classroom, office or interview room may be used for worship.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the prisons under construction, and the cost of accommodation to be provided in each of them for Church of England and other faiths respectively.
Earl FerrersThe total cost of the accommodation set aside for religious activities at each of the new prisons under construction is as follows:— 31WA
Prison Cost of accommodation provided for religious purposes £000
Elmley 467 Bullingdon 469 Wolds 237 Holme House 353 Woodhill 488 High Down 429 Blakenhurst 451 Lancaster Farms 487 Doncaster 631 With minor exceptions, this accommodation is available for use by all faiths.