§ Mr. McNultyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Northern Ireland Prison Service has made in implementing the recommendation of the Narey report which was laid before this House on 2 April. [51261]
§ Mr. IngramThe Narey Report contained 59 recommendations mainly concerned with improving security at HMP Maze. Management of Maze has made considerable progress in taking forward those recommendations.
Forty recommendations relate specifically to procedural and operational matters. Of these, 23 either have been, or are about to be, implemented. These include revised procedures for children's parties which will be applied to the annual summer children's parties over the coming weeks. Twelve require further work and five have been referred to Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons for advice.
Fifteen recommendations, some of which will involve the provision of additional physical security measures, relate to staff-search procedures, the staffing and security arrangements for visits and the protection of the Block-roofs. A considerable amount of work has already been done by the three working groups and further work is in hand. In particular enhanced searching and training has been introduced and a new system of roof protection has been devised and is being piloted.
Four recommendations dealt mainly with matters which the Northern Ireland Prison Service was required to consider. Two have been implemented and a third awaits greater clarity on the future of the prison in the medium term. The post of Governor has been advertised but as yet a suitable candidate has not been found, and other options are being pursued.
The Narey Report pointed the way forward for improving security at HMP Maze. A good deal of progress has been made. The prison is now a safer and more secure environment but we are determined to ensure that momentum for improvement will be maintained. To this end, and going beyond the Narey recommendations, we have introduced a Security Audit Unit to continuously monitor and report on security standards in all establishments.