§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a system of 201W sanctions and rewards based on performance for public sector prisons, as considered by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons in his 1999 report on HMP Wormwood Scrubs; and if he will make a statement. [90582]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Prison Service already operates a system of performance-related pay for senior staff, which includes the governors of public sector prisons. In addition, the Prison Service has started to trial service delivery agreements which set clear targets for public sector prisons to deliver, both in terms of quantity and quality. These targets will translate into staff performance plans. A specific project has been established to explore further options to reward good, and sanction substandard, performance.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his estimate of the extra capacity which will be added to existing prisons in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement; [90584]
(2) what is his estimate of the number of new prisons which will be built in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [90596]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Prison Service is building four additional prisons over the next three financial years. In 1999–2000, two new prisons are due to open. Forest Bank, near Salford, will provide 800 places and Ashfield, near Bristol, will provide 400 places. In 2000–01, a new prison will open at Onley, Rugby, which will provide 600 places. In 2001–02, a new prison at Marchington, Staffordshire, will open providing 800 places. Subject to legal agreements, the Prison Service also has outline planning permission for two further new prisons at Peterborough and Ashford (Staines) and an application for a new prison at Maghull in Merseyside is awaiting determination by the local planning authority. No decision has yet been taken on the start dates.
The Prison Service is also providing an additional 1,100 new places at existing prisons in 1999–2000. No decision has been taken to build extra capacity at existing prisons beyond this period.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change procedures in his Department which relate to responding to details of serious problems in Prison Service establishments, with particular reference to those which are made in reports by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons; and if he will make a statement. [90583]
§ Mr. George HowarthResponses to the reports and recommendations of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons are managed through a specific protocol which was introduced in November 1997. This requires a full response and action plan to be drawn up within 30 days of the publication of the report and updated at nine and 15 months afterwards. The original and updated action plan is sent to Ministers and to the Chief Inspector.
The protocol was not applied retrospectively. It is currently under review.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken by Prison Service managers in response to the finding in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons 1999 report on HMP Wormwood Scrubs that cell call alarms had been muted on A Wing in the prison; and if he will make a statement. [90588]
202W
§ Mr. George HowarthA governor's order was issued immediately after Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' inspection which required managers to make regular checks on the system. The checks include both random and regular visual checks of alarm panels in wing offices. Staff have also been briefed directly by the governor and reminded of their personal responsibilities to respond to cell alarms. Notices to prisoners have been published and displayed on wing notice boards reminding prisoners that cell call systems are for emergency use only.
The broken mute switch referred to in the Chief Inspector's report has been repaired and the cell call system is now in full working order on A Wing.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those Prison Service establishments which are currently under special managerial attention; how long they are expected to remain under special managerial attention; and if he will make a statement. [90585]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe following Prison Service establishments are currently listed as requiring closer managerial attention:
- Brockhill
- Bullwood Hall
- Chelmsford
- Feltham
- Glen Parva
- Holloway
- Parc
- Wellingborough
- Wormwood Scrubs.
All establishments are kept under review and no dates have been set for their removal.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the Prison Service's current projections for changes in the prison population in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [90597]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Research Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office provided revised projections of the prison population in England and Wales in May, and a summary of the projection is included in the April 1999 'Prison Population Brief which is available on the Internet at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm
Projections are provided according to various alternative scenarios. The middle variant projection assumes that Crown Court custody rates increase at 0.6 per cent. for males and 1.1 per cent. for females, and that sentence lengths increase by 0.2 months per year in the first two years (but by no more thereafter). A higher variant assumes that from 2001, in addition to the custody rate increases assumed in the middle variant, sentence lengths continue to increase after the first two years at 1.5 per cent. per annum for males and 2 per cent. per annum for females. The results are as given in the table.
203WThese scenarios both assume that the amount of courts' business remains constant over the period. A third scenario, that sentence lengths and custody rates do not
Long term projections of male and female prisoners, projected through to 2006, England and Wales 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Higher variant: Total 64,900 67,000 68,800 70,000 70,800 72,000 73,500 75,000 Male 61,600 63,200 64,800 65,900 66,600 67,700 69,200 70,600 Female 3,300 3,800 4,000 4,100 4,200 4,300 4,300 4,400 Middle variant: Total 64,800 66,500 68,100 68,800 69,200 69,700 70,200 70,900 Male 61,600 62,900 64,300 64,800 65,200 65,600 66,100 66,700 Female 3.300 3,600 3,800 4,000 4,000 4,100 4,100 4,200
§ Lorna FitzsimonsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Prison Service takes to monitor prisoners who are transferred from private to public prisons, with particular reference to the honouring of risk assessments conducted in private prisons. [90988]
§ Mr. George HowarthRisk assessments on prisoners are prepared at prisons for a variety of purposes, including categorisation, sentence planning, release on temporary licence and home detention curfew. Contracted out prisons are subject to the same rules, procedures, guidance and policy for risk assessments as public sector prisons. Assessment processes at contracted out and public sector prisons are monitored during standards audits. Where prisoners transfer, the assessment will be the responsibility of the prison with final accountability for the decision in question, but in doing so, it would normally be expected to take into account any previous assessment undertaken by other prisons. Prisoners dissatisfied with decisions at contracted out or public sector prisons can make use of the request and complaints procedures.