HC Deb 18 April 1995 vol 258 cc90-1W
Mr. George Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the proportion of prisoners held in establishments where prisoners are normally unlocked for a total of at least 12 hours a day from Monday to Friday inclusive, excluding prisoners who are in segregated or a special secure unit, for each of the past 12 months in prisons in England and Wales. [16268]

Mr. Michael Forsyth

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 Mr. George Howarth, dated 18 April 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the proportion of prisoners held in establishments where prisoners are normally unlocked for a total of a least 12 hours per weekday. The latest available information is as follows:

Percentage of prisoners unlocked for 12 hours per day
Months 1994
February 27
March 29
April 31
May 32
June 33
July 35
August 36
September 37
October 38
November 36
December 39
1995
January 38
February 40

In my response to your Question of 27 January and my letter to you of 1 March, I indicated that 36% of prisoners were being unlocked for at least 12 hours on weekdays in January 1995. This has been revised to a final figure of 38%. The figure for September 1994 has also been revised from 36% to 37%.

Transfers of prisoners to hospital by direction of the Home Secretary under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 11994
After sentence S47 100 107 127 121 131 156 193 230 290 234
Before sentence S48 41 53 77 85 100 181 264 380 486 512
Total 141 160 204 206 231 337 457 610 776 746
1 Provisional figures.