§ 17. Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on industrial relations within the prison service.
§ Mrs. RumboldThere are currently 43 local disputes registered under the disputes procedure agreed between the POA and prison service management. The level of disputes is a matter of concern, particularly when it results in industrial action leading to prisoners being held in police cells.
Following a POA ballot last June in favour of industrial action but not strike action on issues of staffing and safety, there has been a series of meetings with the POA to resolve the dispute which have not yet been successful.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will next meet the Prison Reform Trust to discuss implementation of the recommendations of the Woolf report.
§ Mrs. RumboldMy right hon. Friend will next month be addressing a conference organised by the Prison Reform Trust. We shall listen with interest to all representations made about the future direction of the prison service while preparing the forthcoming White Paper.