§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the powers and authority of the Home Office controllers at Doncaster prison; what are their salaries; and if he will make a statement. [8056]
§ 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. Martin Redmond, dated 17 January 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the powers and authority of the Home Office Controllers at Doncaster.The Criminal Justice Act of 1991 requires that "every contracted-out prison shall have a Controller who shall be a Crown Servant appointed by the Secretary of State". This function is currently carried out at Doncaster prison by a senior governor grade and his deputy. His duties include authorising the temporary release of prisoners, their removal from association, approving the use of special cells and restraints, and carrying out adjudications. He also has a general duty to keep under review and to report to the Secretary of State on the running of the prison by and on behalf of the Director as well as to investigate and report to the Secretary of State on any allegations made against prisoner custody officers performing custodial duties at the prison. The Controller is also 581W authorised to suspend and refer for revocation the certificate of a prisoner custody officer if he considers him or her not to be a fit and proper person to carry out custodial functions.The current salaries of the Controller and Deputy Controller are £43,000 and £32,000 a year respectively.