§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in capital expenditure in his Department during the current financial year on the use of police cells; and if he will make a statement. [26671]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 29 April 1996]: 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 from A. J. Butler to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 2 May 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about whether an assessment has been made on the effect the reduction in capital expenditure during the current financial year will have on the use of police cells.An assessment of the effect of the reduction in capital expenditure was made in December 1996. This work concluded that there was no significant increase in the risk of having to resort to the use of police cells in 1996–97.The Prison Service has not been using police cells since June 1995. Apart from a major unplanned loss of accommodation or an unexpected rise in the population above current projections, and above our capacity to accommodate with other measures, we do not plan to use police cells.