HC Deb 29 June 1994 vol 245 cc616-7W
Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are carried out by the police on applicants who apply for work at contracted-out prisons and for the contracted-out court escort service.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility for this matter 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 Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 29 June 1994: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the checks carried out by the police on applicants who apply for work at contracted out prisons and for the contracted court escort service. In my letter of 22 June, Official Report, column 171, I referred to the routine enquiries that are made about all people who wish to work at contracted out prisons and for the contracted court escort service. These investigations are similar to those made in relation to applicants for Prison Service employment and include checks made by the police against records held in the Criminal Records Office. Candidates applying for employment in custodial duties and escort functions in both the public and the private sector are exempted from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by the Rehabilitation Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Convictions which ordinarily are regarded as "spent" are therefore taken into account.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 22 June,Official Report, column 169, how many grades of employee working in the court escort service in the Metropolitan police area there will be when Securicor takes over the contract; what will be the pay for each grade; and how the pay and grading compare with that of the current incumbents.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility for this matter 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 Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 29 June 1994: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of grades of employee working in the court escort service in the Metropolitan Police area when Securicor takes over the contract; the pay for each grade and how the pay and grading compare with that of the current incumbents. There are two basic uniformed grades, prisoner custody officers and supervisory prisoner custody officers, excluding the senior management and administration staff at Securicor's headquarters. The core grades who are currently performing these duties are police constables and police sergeants, prison officers and senior prison officers. The pay of prisoner custody officers is determined by the contractor concerned. Details are not held by the Prison Service and it is for the contractor to decide whether they should be made public.