§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the recommendations made by Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons in his report for 1998 have now been carried out. [84649]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is not, by tradition, a forum for laying out recommendations, and therefore differs from his thematic and individual establishment reports. Any recommendations are, therefore, informal and do not automatically require a Prison Service response.
The Chief Inspector produces his Annual Report to draw attention to what he sees as the key issues affecting the Prison Service. Ministers and officials pay close attention to the views and suggestions contained in the Annual Report.