§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to enable women prisoners to receive visits from relatives who live long distances from their prison. [115610]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Prison Service places great importance on prisoners maintaining close ties with their families as part of their rehabilitation. Population pressures have resulted in some prisoners being allocated a long distance away from their families, and this has been a particular problem for women prisoners because of the relatively small amount of accommodation for them. The allocation of women prisoners may also be restricted by the need for them to attend specific offender behaviour programmes or if they have been allocated to a mother and baby unit. This is being addressed by the continuing programme to increase the capacity of the female estate, mainly by re-roling male facilities, resulting in a greater spread of female accommodation across the country.
For relatives who live some distance from a particular prison, the Assisted Prison Visits Unit offers financial assistance for those who meet the relevant criteria. The Prison Service is also working to improve the quality of visits, with particular emphasis on ensuring that imprisoned parents have productive visits with their children. An increasing number of establishments are providing creches and play areas, as well as making provision for extended family visits to take place away from the normal visits area.