§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the latest figure of the number of assaults on prisoners at Blakenhurst prison;
(2) what is the latest figure for the number of assaults on custody officers at Blakenhurst prison.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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. George Howarth, dared 2 February 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the number of assaults on prisoners and on custody officers at Blakenhurst prison.The latest information is for assaults proved at adjudication during the calendar year 1994. Figures for 1993 were published in "Statistics of offences against prison discipline and punishments, England and Wales, 1993" (cm. 2664).Provisional figures are that in 1994 there were 23 assaults on prisoners and 89 on staff (includes a number of assaults on others).The current rate of assaults at Blakenhurst, relative to the size of the prisoner population, is comparable to the average of other local prisons.