§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list(a) the number of employment places provided by Prison Service laundries and (b) the number of prisoner hours spent working in Prison Service laundries in each year since 1989–90. [15974]
741W(2) if he will list (a) the number of employment places, (b) the total net cost of these employment places offered by Prison Service industries and farms and (c) the total number of hours of inmate occupation provided by these places in each year since 1989–90; [15972]
(3) if he will list (a) the number of inmates and (b) the number of hours spent by inmates working directly for the private sector on a subcontract basis in each year since 1989–90. [15973]
§ 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 20 February 1997:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your three recent Questions about the employment of prisoners.The attached tables detail the information you requested.The figures provided are from the earliest records available which, with the exception of the information for private sector work, exclude the period 1989–90. Figures provided for the current year are estimated rather than actual. Statistics relating to private sector work undertaken in prisons are not yet available for the period 1996–97.
Year Number of employment places Net hours of work undertaken within Prison Service laundries 1990–91 988 1,061,000 1991–92 1,090 1,040,000 1992–93 1,051 1,050,000 1993–94 1,053 960,000 1994–95 982 1,090,000 1995–96 984 1,080,000 1996–971 906 976,000 1 Only estimated figures are available for the current year.
Year Number of employment places Net cost of employment places £ Number of hours of inmate occupation 1991–92 11,003 26,107,000 11,553,150 1992–93 10,172 28,550,000 10,680,600 1993–94 10,024 27,748,000 10,625,440 1994–95 9,250 27,327,000 10,175,000 1995–96 9,626 27,369,000 10,444,210 1996–971 10,320 29,711,000 11,868,000 1 Only estimated figures are available for the current year.
Year Number of inmates Number of hours spent by inmates working directly for the private sector on a sub-contract basis 1989–90 2,537 1,602,255 1990–91 2,142 1,465,637 1991–92 2,033 1,296,000 1992–93 1,806 1.387,058 1993–94 1,637 1,395,239 1994–95 1,646 1,416,024 1995–961 1,876 1,587,917 Figures are not available for 1996–97. 1 Only estimated figures are available for this period.