HL Deb 23 July 1996 vol 574 cc118-9WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the exact size and cubic capacity and floor space of the 86 cubicles for women at HM Prison Eastwood Park, Gloucester; and what is the maximum period of continuous occupation of such cubicles by prisoners.

Baroness Blatch

Responsibility 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 to Lord Hylton from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt, dated 23rd July 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the exact size and cubic capacity and floor space of the 86 cubicles for women at Eastwood Park prison, and what is the maximum period of continuous occupation of such cubicles.

The exact size of 42 of the smaller cells is 6' 2½" wide x 8' 7½" deep x 9'½" high. The cubic capacity is 484.15 cubic feet with a floor space of 53.54 square feet. The remaining 44 smaller cells have a larger depth of 8' 9". This increases the cubic capacity to 491.16 cubic feet and floor space to 54.32 square feet.

Prisoners are locked in their cells overnight, between 20.30–07.45 hours, a period of 11.25 hours.

Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What were the recommendations of the Prison Inspectorate concerning the 86 cubicles for women at HM Prison Eastwood Park, Gloucester; and whether the recommendations have been observed; and if not, why not.

Baroness Blatch

Responsibility 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 to Lord Hylton from the Director General of the Prison Service, Mr. Richard Tilt, dated 23rd July 1996:

Lady Blatch has asked me to reply to your recent Question about what recommendations the Prison Inspectorate had made concerning the 86 cubicles for women at HM Prison Eastwood Park, and whether the recommendations had been observed, and if not, why not.

The Inspectorate made three recommendations:

  1. (a) time in cell must be minimised if the cell sizes are to be considered acceptable.
  2. (b) Implementation of the regime, including activities and planned association, should proceed without delay.
  3. (c) Basic regime prisoners should be held only in the larger cells.

The first two recommendations were accepted by the area manager responsible for Eastwood Park but the third was not. Basic regime prisoners are those who have failed to conform with the regime and their allocation to the larger cells could be viewed by others as a reward for bad behaviour.