§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if women who have been assessed for open conditions, and then placed in the HMP Holloway, are subject to mechanical restraints whilst on escort. [15002]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 15 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about women who are subjected to mechanical restraints while one escort.Women who have been approved for open conditions are not normally subject to mechanical restraints. Women who are sent back to Holloway prison as being unsuitable for open conditions will be subject to mechanical restraints while on escort.