§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their proposals for reviewing the role of boards of visitors at prison establishments.
§ Baroness TrumpingtonWe are currently setting up a review of the role of boards of visitors. The Prisons Act 1952 provides for a board of visitors to be appointed to every prison and young offender institution. Members of boards are lay volunteers drawn from the local community. We value the work of boards and the participation of the local community, and we are keen to maintain this involvement of lay people in the prison system. Our objective for the review is to strengthen the role of boards and help them undertake their duties more effectively. With this background the review is asked to make recommendations with particular respect to:
—how this role should be redefined or clarified
117WA—the interface between boards of visitors, HM Chief Inspectors of Prisons and the prison ombudsman.
—the recruitment and appointment of boards of visitors members
—the training of boards of visitors members
—the national representation of boards of visitors
—the administrative support at national and local level
—funding of the work of boards of visitors
118WA—an appropriate title for boards of visitors
We shall be helped in the work of the review by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons; a small number of board members; representatives of their national organisations and a co-opted prison governor. We will be supported by a small team of Home Office officials.
Board members and groups with an interest in penal affairs are being invited to submit representations to the review group by March 3rd. We would also welcome any representations by the beginning of April and will announce them to the House.