§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve recruitment and retention of health care staff in(a) Feltham Young Offenders Unit and (b) other young offender units. [84848]
§ Mr. George HowarthConventional recruitment and retention measures are now supplemented at Feltham by arrangements with the local NHS mental health secure unit to provide a number of qualified psychiatric nurses to assist Feltham's delivery of health care. Meetings are also being held with the local health authority to produce a specification for the provision of nursing services at Feltham.
30WThe Prison Service's Directorate of Health Care has commissioned research to look at the current national problem of recruitment and retention of health care staff within the Service. This will produce recommendations on the best way forward.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the speed of transfer of inmates sectioned under the Mental Health Acts from young offender units to other institutions. [84845]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Government have accepted the recommendations in the report of the joint Prison Service/National Health Service executive working group on the future organisation of prison health care, published on 29 March 1999, aimed at providing that the National Health Service takes a greater role in the provision of health care to prisoners, especially those with mental health problems.
Implementation of the recommendations should greatly assist the assessment and transfer process. The Department of Health strategy document "Modernising Mental Health Services—Safe, Sound and Supportive", published last December, indicated that, among other measures, steps were being taken to expand the number of secure psychiatric places within the NHS.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a specific profession of prison officer for young offender institutions and for young offenders in prison. [84850]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Government have no plans to introduce a separate profession for prison officers working with young offenders. However, the Prison Service is developing accredited training specifically for staff who work with young offenders. It is also revising its selection criteria to enable establishments with offenders under 18 to recruit the most suitable staff.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to seek funding from local education authorities for the education of young offenders who are in custody. [84851]
§ Mr. George HowarthThere are no plans to seek funding from Local Education Authorities for the education of young offenders who are in custody.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what funding is available for the Sex Offender Treatment Programme for juveniles and young offenders in Feltham Young Offenders Unit; [84837]
(2) what plans he has to ensure that the Sex Offender Treatment Programme continues to be provided at Feltham Young Offenders Unit. [84838]
§ Mr. George HowarthFeltham has until now been able to provide the Sex Offenders Treatment Programme without specific funding.
However, the current review of the secure juvenile estate will bring about changes to Feltham's accommodation and regime that may make it difficult for the establishment to continue to provide the Programme without extra funding. Its continuation will, therefore, depend on the outcome of the reviews which are currently taking place of the juvenile estate and regimes for young offender institutions, and the outcome of a bid for capital funding.
31WFeltham will, in any event, endeavour to provide one further Sex Offender Treatment Programme this year.
§ Dr. Cable>: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has (a) to provide education and (b) to improve the provision of education to young people on remand other than those under school leaving age in (i) Feltham Young Offenders Unit and (ii) other young offenders units; [84834]
(2) what plans he has to increase the provision of education to convicted inmates over school leaving age in Feltham Young Offenders Unit. [84836]
§ Mr. George HowarthThere are no plans to increase the provision of education to either convicted or remand prisoners over school leaving age at Feltham.
Governors of Prison Service establishments have delegated budgets from which they purchase teaching and induction hours against a national contract for educational services which is managed at a local level. Prison Education for all prisoners focuses on the core curriculum of basic educational skills (literacy and numeracy), life and social skills and computers. The Young Offender Institution Rules 1988 (as amended) require education arrangements appropriate to his or her needs to be made for any prisoner aged 17 or over who has special educational needs, if necessary within the normal working week. Otherwise, education for prisoners over school leaving age is entirely voluntary. Prisoners aged between 17 and 21 should be offered at least two hours a week of physical education.
Other important developments to enhance education for young offenders generally include:
A broader model educational curriculum for juveniles to include an action plan and timetable for each juvenile based on an in depth assessment;Work with the Basic Skills Agency to develop ways of delivering basic skills training to prisoners in the workplace, to support the Service's Welfare to Work pilots and to develop family literacy projects and prisoner literacy mentoring; andWork with specialist educational consultants on how best to screen prisoners for dyslexia and then how best to support prisoners with this learning need.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available to young offender units for the young offenders training programme; and how it is allocated [84839]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Young Offender Treatment Programme is a new offending behaviour programme being developed under the Prison Service programme accreditation scheme. Finance has been earmarked to enable a number of young offender establishments, including Feltham, to pilot the programme. The Prison Service is currently considering how this work should be taken forward and no decisions have yet been taken on allocation of earmarked finance.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the recommended ratio of probationary and qualified prison officer staff to juveniles in young offender units; and what plans he has to change this. [84840]
32W
§ Mr. George HowarthThere is no recommended ratio for the number of probationary and qualified prison officers to under 18 year olds in young offender institutions, and we do not have plans to introduce one. The proportion of newly appointed to experienced staff varies from one establishment to another because the turnover of staff varies. The Prison Service is preparing to introduce selection and training arrangements tailored to the needs of establishments in the new under-18 estate which should help address some of the recruitment and retention difficulties some establishments experience.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recommendations and guidelines are issued on the education of(a) juveniles and (b) young offenders other than those under school leaving age who are in young offender units. [84833]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Young Offender Institution Rules 1988 (as amended) require the provision of 15 hours academic education per week for sentenced prisoners under the age of 17 years. The education provided includes English, Mathematics, life skills relevant to their age, and Information Technology and a minimum of five hours of physical education per week. In the case of sentenced prisoners aged 17 years with learning difficulties, there is a requirement to provide education appropriate to their needs.
The core curriculum is set out in a Prison Service Order called the Prison Service education national curriculum framework, a copy of which is in the Library.
The Prison Service is currently developing new regime standards for young people under the age of 18. They will include the development of a broader education curriculum for young people under school leaving age which will take into account their particular learning difficulties, especially dyslexia, attention deficits and hyper-activity disorder and any statement of educational needs. The Comprehensive Spending Review has made additional funds available for achieving these new standards.
The Prison Service is also planning to introduce an individual programme for each young person. It will be based on a thorough assessment and will include an action plan and programme suited to individual needs, ability and aptitude.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what(a) recommendations and (b) guidelines he has issued on convicted juveniles sharing cells with remand juveniles in young offenders institutions. [84849]
§ Mr. George HowarthPrison Service policy on the separation of different classes of prisoner is set out in the Instruction to Governors 48/1995 which was issued on 11 May 1995, a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of education were provided at Feltham Young Offenders Unit in each of the last three years; and how many hours are planned for the current year. [84835]
33W
§ Mr. George HowarthThe number of teaching hours purchased at Feltham Young Offenders Institution in each of the last three years was:
Teaching hours 1998 17,605 1997 13,131 1996 112,000 1This is an approximate figure As part of the new education contract which was awarded to North East Surrey College of Technology to commence on 1 January 1999 the number of teaching hours ordered for the 12 month period to 31 December 1999 is 17,500.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates at the Feltham Young Offenders' Unit Health Centre who have been assessed as having mental health problems are currently waiting transfers to(a) hospitals and (b) other secure institutions. [84841]
§ Mr. George HowarthOn 18 May 1999 eight prisoners at Feltham Young Offenders Institution for whom mental health assessments had been completed were awaiting admission to hospitals under provisions of Part III of the Mental Health Act 1983. Prisoners who require in-patient treatment for mental disorders are only transferred to psychiatric hospitals.