§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons in England and Wales engage in slopping out; and if he will make a statement. [144961]
§ Mr. BoatengThere are no prison establishments in England and Wales where slopping out is part of the operational regime. Twenty-four hour access to sanitation is provided in the majority of normal accommodation by means of integral sanitation, electronic unlocking or open access. The exceptions to this are D Wing at Exeter, C Wing at Dartmoor and B Wing at Swansea. When this122W accommodation is in use, 24 hour access is normally provided by manual unlocking. Buckets are also provided in the cells as an alternative facility following which "slopping out" would take place. Consideration is being given to the provision of integral sanitation if these cells continue to be used. There is a proportion of cells in segregation units and places in health care centres where sanitation is not provided, for operational reasons.