§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list those prisons which have made probation staff redundant over the last year; and if he will make a statement; [7387]
(2) if he will make a statement in respect of those prisons which have reduced (a) sex offenders and (b) drug treatment programmes over the last year; and if he will make a statement; [7388]
(3) what reductions in probation work, including courses dealing with offending behaviour, have been made at (a) Winchester, (b) Birmingham and (c) Little Hey prisons; and if he will make a statement. [7389]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for these matters 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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. Alan Beith, dated 11 January 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about redundancies among prison-based probation officers; reductions in prison sex offender and drug treatment programmes and reductions in prison probation work at Winchester, Birmingham and Littlehey prisons during the last year.No prisons have made probation staff redundant. Probation officers work in prison establishments on secondment from their home probation services. They remain subject to the conditions of service of their local Probation Committee.Detailed information about treatment programmes for drug misusers in individual prisons is not held centrally but every prison must develop a local strategy to reduce the supply and demand for drugs, to rehabilitate drug misusers and to minimise the potential for damage to the health of prisoners, staff and the wider community.282WWith the exception of Littlehey prison, there has been no reduction in sex offender programmes at any prison and there has been no reduction in probation work at Winchester or Birmingham. At Littlehey, probation staff, with uniformed staff, lead sex-offender treatment programmes. A combination of factors including sick leave and staff changes led to the cancellation of some sex offender treatment sessions during the summer.