§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the terms of reference, job description and person description for the Chief Inspector of Prisons.
§ Baroness BlatchThe terms of reference of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons are set out in Section 5A of the Prison Act 1952, as inserted by Section 57 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982. Further details, including a person specification, were set out in the recruitment information brief provided for candidates when the post was advertised in 1995. I have placed a copy of this document in the Library.
§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, as reported in The Times on 24th June 1996, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has sought to restrict the freedom of the Chief Inspector of Prisons to discuss prison policy in public; and, if so, what is the nature of the restraints imposed upon the chief inspector and what is the justification for them.
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§ Baroness BlatchThe terms and conditions of service which apply to the appointment of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons state that:
"Senior civil servants normally hold appointment on the strict conditions that they do not take an active part in public debate on matters of current or potential public or political controversy and that they seek approval before seeking to publish any letter, article or book, etc. or to give a talk which bears on official subjects or experience. It is of course recognised that you will need to play an active part in public discussions of prisons and related matters: should you feel the need for advice on where a line should be drawn, we shall be happy to give it."
On the relatively rare occasions when he would want to comment publicly, the agreed procedure is for HM Chief Inspector to discuss with the head of the Home Office's Communication Directorate both the occasion and what he would be saying.