§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultations with non-Christian religions took place before the present rules governing the appointment of visiting ministers to prisons were formulated; what application forms are provided for this purpose; who has to initial those forms; and whether any interviews are required, and if so with whom.
Earl FerrersSection 10 of the Prison Act 1952 enables the Secretary of State, where in his opinion the number of such prisoners requires it, to appoint a minister to a prison to serve prisoners who belong to a religious denomination other than the Church of England. The 1952 Act consolidated previous enactments. Information is not available on whether, and to what extent, consultations with non-Christian religions took place before the original provision was enacted. More recently, however, wide-ranging contacts have been built up between the Prison Service and representatives of non-Christian faiths.
Application forms are provided for all visiting ministers. The form is signed by the governor, the security officer, the chaplain and the assistant chaplain general or senior Roman Catholic chaplain. No interviews are required. A member of the chaplaincy team may, however, see a prospective visiting minister, before or after his or her appointment to 38WA acquaint them with the requirements of the prison and to provide help and advice. The governor may also choose to interview a prospective visiting minister.