§ Mr. Nicholas BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were available in secure units for mentally ill offenders(a) in 1990 and (b) in the latest year for which figures are available. [26081]
§ Mr. BowisI have been asked to reply.
In 1990, there were 572 places in medium secure units. By March 1995, this had increased to 792. The completion of our centrally funded building programme, to which we have allocated more than £47 million between 1991 and 1995, will take the total to over 1,150 by the end of 1996. There are also about 450 places in interim secure psychiatric units, many of which are of medium secure standard, and others which are funded by health authorities in independent sector facilities.
In addition, there are about 1,600 places in the three special hospitals at Ashworth, Broadmoor and Rampton. The number of secure places in local hospitals is not recorded centrally but is estimated at about 2,000.
There were no purpose-built NHS medium secure places in 1979, despite the fact that the Glancy committee had recommended them in its 1974 report.