§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement of the rights of prison officers, as constituents, to contact their Member of Parliament for help on issues relevant to them; and what460W assessment he has made of the compatability of the relevant Prison Service rules with the right of a constituent to contact their Member of Parliament; [132151]
(2) if he will publish the paragraphs of the staff hand book for prison officers at Chelmsford prison which relate to them contacting their Member of Parliament. [132150]
§ Mr. BoatengThe rights of prison officers to contact their Member of Parliament are set out in the Prison Service Staff Handbook. This reminds staff that civil servants should not attempt to bring political or other outside influence to support any personal claims as a civil servant. It makes it clear that this does not restrict staff's right to approach their Member of Parliament. A copy of the Prison Staff Handbook is available in the Library. The relevant paragraph is paragraph 19.84.