§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, column 183, what information is available regarding payments for compensation and damages following disturbances in prisons in England and Wales over the past 10 years. [14963]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 13 February 1996]: Responsibility 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. Jim Dowd, dated 22 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your further Question about payments of compensation and damages to individuals following prison disturbances in the last ten years.Compensation claims are dealt with either at local level or centrally depending on the size and nature of the claim. Information is available, from the financial year 1990/91, on the Prison Service's annual spend on compensation as a whole. It is not possible to identify the amount paid as a result of prison disturbances. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.