§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he had read a transcript of the trial of the men accused of the 1994 escape from HMP Whitemoor before his announcement that he was considering legislation that would allow the prosecution to appeal against judges' rulings stopping trials. [13419]
§ Mr. Howard[holding answer 30 January 1997]: No transcript was available at the time of my announcement on Friday 24 January, but I had been fully briefed on the outcome of the proceedings and the reason given for his decision by the trial judge.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will(a) alter the conditions under which those accused in connection with the Whitemoor prison escape are held and (b) hold an independent inquiry into how far the conditions under which the accused are held are responsible for the health of the accused. [13417]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 30 January 1997]: 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.
450WLetter from S. G. Norris to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 3 February 1997:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about conditions under which those accused in connection with the Whitemoor prison escape are held.The prisoners who escaped from Whitemoor prison in September 1994 have all been categorised as Exceptional Risk Category A prisoners and their security category and escape risk classification are subject to annual reviews. Exceptional Risk Category A prisoners must be held in accommodation with an appropriate level of physical security. The units used are known as Special Secure Units (SSUs).In June 1996, Sir Donald Acheson of the Department of Public Health and Safety at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was asked by the Prison Service to examine what effect, if any, the current SSU regime may have on prisoners' health. As a result of his report, a system of reviewing the health of individual prisoners every three months was introduced. There are no plans to hold a further inquiry into this particular issue.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will request a report from the Director General of the Prison Service on the evidence of(a) Mr. Brodie Clarke and (b) Mr. Richard Vart at the trial of the men accused of the 1994 escape from Whitemoor prison; and if he will make a statement; [13418]
(2) if he will order a fresh inquiry into the 9 September 1994 escape from HMP Whitemoor in the light of claims by senior counsel that prison officers assisted in organising the escape. [13412]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answers 30 January 1997]: The circumstances surrounding the escape from Her Majesty's prison, Whitemoor on 9 September 1994 were thoroughly investigated by Sir John Woodcock. While his inquiry found evidence of many loopholes in the adopted practices and procedures, it found no evidence that prison officers assisted in organising the escape. The report of the inquiry was published on 19 December 1994 and is available in the Library. Cambridgeshire constabulary has also carried out a thorough and detailed investigation of the escape. No charges have been brought against any member of Prison Service staff as a result of that investigation. If any person has any additional information concerning the escape, this should be made available to the police as soon as possible.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to locate the missing Prison Service category A books logging the movements of the six men accused of the 1994 escape from HMP Whitemoor; and if he will make a statement. [13420]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 30 January 1997]: 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 Phil Wheatley to Mr. Kevin McNamara, dated 3 February 1997:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about missing Prison Service Category A books logging the movements of the six men accused of the 1994 escape from HMP Whitemoor.The six category A Exceptional Risk prisoners who escaped from Whitemoor Prison in 1994 did not have category A books during their period at Whitemoor in the Special Secure Unit.