HC Deb 19 November 1998 vol 319 cc736-7W
Mr. Swayne

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Kingston Prison is to be included in the initiative to install televisions in prisoners' cells; and if he will make a statement. [60791]

Mr. George Howarth

All prison establishments in England and Wales are included in the initiative and will in due course provide in-cell television as an earned privilege. Installation of in-cell televisions will take place on a rolling basis over an initial three year period. Kingston is not included in the 80 establishments installing in-cell television this financial year.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria the prison service uses in denying prisoners access to books which are publicly available. [60015]

Mr. George Howarth

Prisoners are normally allowed to receive, or make arrangements to purchase, books while in prison; to have access to the prison library; and to have at least three books in their possession at any one time, subject to the volumetric limits that apply to prisoners' property.

However, there are a number of grounds on which access to publications may be limited or denied. These are:

  1. (i) Governors have discretion to withhold or withdraw any publication if it constitutes a risk to security or good order or discipline, or where the medical officer considers that possession of the material is likely to have an adverse effect on the prisoner's physical or mental condition;
  2. (ii) prisoners may have access to publications/library facilities withdrawn for a limited period following an adjudication for an offence against discipline (although access to approved religious books would not be removed in such circumstances);
  3. (iii) under the national incentives and earned privileges policy the number of books prisoners may hold, and frequency of visits to the library, may increase or decrease depending upon the privilege level which the prisoner concerned has attained; and
    4. 737
  4. (iv) where a prisoner has requested a book which is not available in the prison library, attempts will be made to obtain it through the inter library loan system or, if necessary, the British Library. It is possible in such circumstances that there may be delays in obtaining the requested publication and a limit on its availability to the prisoner once obtained.