HC Deb 08 December 1994 vol 251 cc332-3W
Mr. Gunnell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many(a) deaths and (b) serious injuries of prisoners held at Doncaster prison there have been since the present private management contract began;

(2) what inspections of Doncaster prison by Home Office staff have taken place since the contract with Premia Prison Services began; and when the contract will next be reconsidered;

(3) if he will hold an independent inquiry into the death of Lee Bowen, held in Doncaster prison;

(4) what were the numbers of (a) inmates and (b) staff at Doncaster prison on 1 November.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 8 December 1994: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about Doncaster prison. Since the prison opened on 20 June this year, two prisoners held there have died. Eleven prisoners have suffered injuries which required immediate transfer to hospital. These include acts of deliberate self harm and drug related incidents, as well as assaults by other prisoners. An inquest into the death of Lee Bowen will be held shortly. It would be wrong for me to comment further until the inquest is complete, but I will write to you again after the inquest's findings are known. On 1 November there were 452 staff and 740 prisoners at the prison. The prison is subject to continuous inspection by the on-site controller, a senior prison governor, who ensures that the contractual obligations set for Premier Prison Services are met. A Prison Service area manager recently also spent some time at the prison to monitor the operation of the prison. Visits to the prison have been carried out at regular intervals by other Prison Service personnel, including the area manager. As for all prisons, there is a Board of Visitors whose independent members visit prison regularly. The Prison will also be subject to inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. The contract for Doncaster is next due for review in June 1999.