§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to increase the number of key performance indicators for the Prison Service which assess standards of custody and control; [2936]
(2) what plans he has to introduce key performance indicators for the Prison Service which assess (i) headquarters staffing levels, (ii) productivity, (iii) efficiency, (iv) standards of staff development and commitment and (v) rates of recidivism; [2937]
(3) what plans he has to increase the number of key performance indicators for the Prison Service' which assess (i) standards of physical security and (ii) levels of prisoner discipline; [2938]
(4) what plans he has to introduce key performance indicators for the Prison Service which assess (a) levels of drug use, (b) availability of rehabilitation services and (c) rates of self-inflicted deaths. [2939]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for these matters 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 13 November 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the introduction of new key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Prison Service.Under the terms of the Framework Document, the KPIs for the Prison Service have to be agreed with Ministers. They are kept regularly under review to ensure that they reflect current key priorities for the Service. Our Corporate Plan 1996–99 explained that Ministers had agreed a number of changes to our KPIs for this year. The Service has achieved in full the KPIs on access to sanitation, and the number of prisoners with the opportunity to exceed minimum visiting entitlement, and these have therefore been discontinued. Three new KPIs were introduced: on the rate of positive testing for drug misuse, the number of prisoners completing programmes accredited as effective in reducing re-offending, and the amount of staff training. Targets for each of these were set for the current year.Some of the areas you refer to are already covered by existing KPIs, at least in part: for example prisoner discipline is reflected in the KPI on rates of assault, standards of custody are reflected in the KPI on the escape rate, the levels of drug use are reflected in the KPI on positive testing for drug misuse, efficiency is reflected in the KPI on cost per place and staff development in the KPI on the amount of staff training.238WClearly, there is a great deal of public interest in information about the Prison Service. I believe it important to keep KPIs to a manageable number, if we are to focus staff effort and other resources to achieve better results, particularly at a time when the Service is under great pressure. The Home Secretary announced, on 20 May 1996, that some management information not currently featured in KPIs would routinely be reported in our Corporate Plan. The current Corporate Plan includes, for example, information about self-inflicted deaths, staff turnover rates and Headquarters overheads.
§ Mr. HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the results achieved by the Prison Service on each of its key performance indicators for the first six months of 1996–97; and what assessment he has made of those results against (a) the published full year targets for 1996–97 and(b) the equivalent phased internal targets for the first six months. [2935]
§ 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 13 November 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the results achieved by the Prison Service on each of its key performance indicators (KPIs) for the first six months of 1996–97.Prison Service KPI performance and targets for 1996–97 and performance from April to September 1996 are shown below (we do not set monthly targets within the annual target because performance on some KPIs is subject to considerable seasonal fluctuation). However, where necessary I indicate below the level of performance required over the rest of the year in order to achieve the target.KPI I: Escapes from prisons and from escorts:
To ensure no Category A prisoners escape and to ensure that the number of escapes from prisons and from escorts, expressed as a proportion of the prison population, is at least 10% lower than in 1995–6.
Category A prisoners Rate (Per cent.) 1996–1997 target 0 0.21 or lower April-September 1996 performance 0 0.23 KPI 2: Assaults
To ensure that the number of assaults on staff, prisoners and others, expressed as a proportion of the average population, is lower than in 1995–6.
- 1996–1997 target: lower than 10.6%
- April-September 1996 performance: 9.4%
KPI 3: Random drug testing
To ensure that the rate of positive testing for drugs (the number of random drug tests that prove positive expressed as a percentage of the total number of random tests carried out) is lower in the fourth quarter of 1996–7 than in the first quarter of that year.
- April-June 1996 performance: 23.9%
- April-September 1996 performance: 23.8%
- January-March 1997 target: lower than 23.9%
KPI 4: Overcrowding
239WTo ensure that no prisoners are held three to a cell designed for one.April-September 1996 performance: No prisonersKPI 5: Purposeful activity
To ensure that prisoners spend on average at least 26.5 hours per week engaged in purposeful activity.April-September 1996 performance: 25.4 hours per prisoner per week (this figure is subject to further validation).We would need to achieve an average of 27.6 hours of purposeful activity per prisoner per week for the rest of the year in order to meet the target.KPI 6: Time out of cell
To ensure that, by 31 March 1997, at least 60% of prisoners are held in establishments which unlock all prisoners on the standard or enhanced regime for at least 10 hours per weekday.September 1996 performance: 67%KPI 7: Completions of accredited offending behaviour programmes
To ensure that at least 1,300 prisoners complete programmes accredited as being effective in reducing re-offending, of whom 650 should complete the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.
Overall completions Sex Offender Treatment Programme completions April-September 1996 performance 402 136 April-September 1996 target 650 325 April 1996-March 1997 target 1,300 650 We would need to ensure that 140 prisoners a month complete accredited offending behaviour programmes, of which 86 a month should complete the Sex Offender Treatment Programme, in order to meet the target.KPI 8: Cost per place
To ensure that the average cost of a prison place does not exceed £24,388.It is not possible to show a meaningful mid-year figure because spending is not evenly distributed across the year and because the number of places is increasing over the year as new accommodation comes on line. We are however forecasting expenditure outturn within the cash limit, as revised to take account of additional funding agreed in year.KPI 9: Average training days per staff member
To ensure that on average, staff spend at least six days in training.April-September 1996 performance: 2.31 days per staff memberWe would need to provide an average of 0.65 days training per staff member per month for the rest of the year in order to meet the target.
§ Mr. HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to revise the way in which statistics are collected for the purpose of measuring the key performance indicators which refer to the Prison Service. [2940]
§ 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 Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 13 November 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking if there were any plans to revise the way in which statistics are collected for the purpose of measuring the key performance indicators which refer to the Prison Service.The Prison Service currently collects its KPI data using a variety of information systems. These collection procedures are under constant review to ensure that monitoring of the KPIs is carried out as promptly and accurately as possible.