§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost of setting minimum security standards for all prison establishments in England and Wales. [35864]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Brian Landers to Mr. George Howarth, dated 10 July 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the cost of setting minimum security standards for all prison establishments in England and Wales.The Prison Service has a phased programme to develop minimum security standards, but has not yet reached a decision on the appropriate standards to apply to all prison establishments in England and Wales. Until this work is complete, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of setting minimum standards.