HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 cc359-60W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what(a)plans he has and (b)funding has been allocated for the refurbishment and rebuilding of E Wing at Wandsworth prison. [44634]

Beverley Hughes

E wing at Wandsworth prison is included in the Prison Service's Safer Cell Programme and the work on site was funded and planned to start this September. Owing to population pressures at the prison, and across the penal estate, this work is to be held in abeyance temporarily to enable E wing to remain in use. There is, however, to be no reduction on the focus of Wandsworth prison as one of the five safer local pilot sites. A re-ordering of the overall programme will result in work being carried out on reception first, then on health care with the work to E Wing following later. Should the population pressures still be such that the capital work in E Wing cannot go forward, some safer custody initiatives will still be undertaken.

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total prison budget is for Wandsworth prison in the current year; and what total allocated funding has been made available to the prison in each of the last five years. [44632]

Beverley Hughes

The present budget for Wandsworth prison for the financial year 2001–02, which is expressed in resource accounting terms, is for £24.184 million resource and £0.204 million capital spending within Departmental Expenditure Limits.

The final budgets for the previous five years, which were allocated as cash budgets, were:

£ million
Current Capital Total
1996–97 18.850 0.165 19.015
1997–98 19.984 0.339 20.323
1998–99 21.627 0.194 21.821
1999–2000 22.397 0.294 22.691
2000–01 22.434 0.113 22.547

The capital budgets do not include major capital investment projects undertaken during this period for the refurbishment or replacement of existing facilities, which have been funded through the central building programme.

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there are for prison officers in Wandsworth Prison; and if he will make a statement. [44631]

Beverley Hughes

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 March 2002,Official Report, column 1223W.