§ Mr. HopeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the results achieved by the Prison Service on each of its key performance indicators in 2001–01; and if he will make a statement. [161015]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Key Performance Indicators (KPI) results for 2000–01 for the Prison Service are given in the table. The data are provisional and subject to final validation.
The results are extremely encouraging. The improvement in security is impressive—especially the reduction in escapes from prison establishments. There were 11 last year, compared with 30 in 1999–2000 and 232 as recently as 1992–93. The downward trend in drug misuse has continued and performance is well ahead of the Public Service Agreement (PSA) target. The level of drug abuse has fallen by 49 per cent. since 1996–97. The Service met the overall target for the number of prisoners completing accredited offending behaviour programmes and increased the overall number of completions by 30 per cent. on the previous year and by more than 93 per cent. on the number achieved in 1998–99. The purposeful activity target would have been met but for a sharp rise in the prisoner population since December, and I believe, could have been met despite the increase in population had governors not responded to encouragement to concentrate investment in education and offending behaviour courses which provide high quality activity but for small numbers of prisoners.
The Director General of the Prison Service has introduced new arrangements for dealing with the high levels of staff sickness in the Service and although the basic skills targets were not met, it is very encouraging to note that prisoners achieved more than 50,000 separate certificates last year, 12,500 of them at basic skills level 2.
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KPI Target Actual Rate of positive random drug tests 16 12.4 Number of voluntary drug testing compacts 28,000 77,861 Percentage of the population held two to a cell designed for one (doubling) 18 per cent. 17.2 per cent. Average weekly purposeful hours per prisoner 24 hours 23.8 hours The proportion of prisoners discharged with basic skills in literacy below level 2 52.8 per cent. 76.6 per cent. The proportion of prisoners discharged with basic skills in numeracy below level 2 61.9 per cent. 67.6 per cent. Accredited offending behaviour programme completions 5,000 6,041 Accredited sex offender treatment programme completions 1,020 848 Cost per uncrowded prison place £27,031 £27,022 Cost per prisoner £26,118 £27,566 Average staff sickness days 11.25 days 13.6 days Public correspondence replied within 20 days 95 per cent. 95 per cent. Average telephone response time (Headquarters only) 12 seconds 12 seconds Percentage abandoned telephone calls (Headquarters only) 5 per cent. 7.2 per cent.