§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were(a) aged over 65 years, (b) required major surgery and (c) had significant impairments or disabilities in each of the past five years; and what plans he has to make special arrangements for prisoners in these categories. [155674]
§ Mr. BoatengThe number of prisoners aged over 65 in each of the past five years is as follows:
Year Number 1996 281 1997 317 1998 354 1999 427 2000 472 The number of prisoners who require major surgery or have significant impairments or disabilities is not collected centrally. Prisons, and their local health authorities, are currently assessing the health needs of prisoners, identifying appropriate services to meet those needs and effective ways of delivery. The aim of the needs assessment process is to provide prisoners with access to the same range and quality of services that the general public receive.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to speed the assessment of discretionary life prisoners and to ensure greater consistency in approach, with particular reference to(a) sentence length and (b) treatment programmes for sex offenders. [155675]
726W
§ Mr. BoatengDiscretionary lifers, particularly those set a short tariff by the trial judge, are transferred from a local prison to a first stage lifer prison as soon as possible after sentencing (tariff being the minimum period the lifer is required to serve to meet the requirements of retribution and deterrence). In order to enhance the working of the current system, the Government are investing an extra £500,000 in the next financial year to fund work in local prisons with new and potential lifers. This will enable speedier assessment and identification of the risk factors which lifers need to address.
In addition, the Government are providing funding for nearly 800 extra lifer places, together with additional resources to increase the number of places available on the sex offender treatment programme. The Prison Service is also to introduce a simpler and more streamlined planning system for all life sentence prisoners which should ensure greater consistency of approach and improve the management of risk assessment and risk reduction as a lifer progresses through the system.
The Prison Service fully recognises the need to give particular priority to the needs of short tariff lifers. The aim is to manage the system so that the Parole Board can release such lifers on or near tariff expiry where it is satisfied that their risk factors have been addressed and release is consistent with the overriding need to protect the public.