§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the prison policy followed in prisons in England and Wales where private phone calls made by inmates can be paid from public expenditure.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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. Tom Cox, dated 23 January 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the policy followed in prisons in England and Wales where private phone calls made by prisoners can be paid from public expense.Following the installation of cardphones in all establishments, prisoners are required to purchase phonecards from their earnings or private cash to make personal calls. Prisoners are only allowed access to an official telephone to make urgent legal and compassionate calls. Prisoners are expected to pay for all calls using an official telephone, unless the governor is satisfied that the prisoner has insufficient funds to meet the cost of the call or the cost is so small as to not justify its collection.