HC Deb 14 February 2003 vol 400 cc110-5W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners over the age of 65 are(a) serving life sentences and (b) have special medical needs; and if he will make a statement. [97494]

Hilary Benn

The number of prisoners serving life sentences over the age of 65 on 30 November 2002 was 121.

A study of 203 sentenced male prisoners aged 60 and over in 15 establishments in England and Wales (about one-fifth of that total population) conducted in 1999–2000 reported that 85 per cent. had one or more major illnesses reported in their medical records and 83 per cent. reported at least one chronic illness or disability when interviewed. The most common illnesses were psychiatric, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and respiratory. All prisons and their local national health service partners have completed joint prison health needs assessments, leading to the implementation of improvements to healthcare provision based on individual prison health plans.

Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisons which cater for young offenders; and how many(a) young offenders and (b) other prisoners are held in each prison. [97038]

Hilary Benn

The information requested is shown in the table. The term young offenders has been taken to refer to any prisoner aged under 21 years of age held in an establishment, whether or not they have been convicted of an offence.

All prison service establishments holding young offenders (i.e. those aged under 21 years of age)
Establishment Number of young offenders Number of adults Total population
Altcourse 78 882 960
Ashfield 228 0 228
Askham Grange 5 118 123
Aylesbury 346 0 346
Belmarsh 54 832 886
Birmingham 2 892 894
Blakenhurst 8 862 870
Brinsford 466 0 466
Bristol 22 584 606
Brixton 1 794 795
Brockhill 51 106 157
Bullingdon 3 856 859
Bullwood Hall 130 32 162
Cardiff 1 635 636
Castington 308 0 308
Chelmsford 174 368 542

All prison service establishments holding young offenders (i.e. those aged under 21 years of age)
Establishment Number of young offenders Number of adults Total population
Cookham Wood 17 98 115
Deerbolt 427 0 427
Doncaster 303 778 1,081
Dorchester 24 182 206
Dover 26 168 194
Drake Hall 36 199 235
East Sutton Park 3 74 77
Eastwood Park 56 223 279
Elmley 57 906 963
Exeter 55 424 479
Feltham 634 0 634
Forest Bank 246 723 969
Glen Parva 713 0 713
Gloucester 24 290 314
Guys Marsh 125 409 534
Haslar 2 120 122
Highdown 96 627 723
Highpoint 5 828 833
Hindley 498 0 498
Holloway 54 430 484
Holme House 36 908 944
Hull 143 824 967
Huntercombe 341 0 341
Lancaster Farms 456 0 456
Leeds 1 1,198 1,199
Lewes 20 459 479
Lindholme 6 712 718
Liverpool 2 1,386 1,388
Low Newton 77 150 227
Manchester 1 1,249 1,250
Moorland 476 469 945
New Hall 106 202 308
Northallerton 137 0 137
Norwich 165 519 684
Onley 513 0 513
Parc 453 510 963
Portland 436 0 436
Reading 250 0 250
Rochester 157 0 157
Shrewsbury 1 278 279
Stoke Heath 614 0 614
Styal 52 329 381

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Population in custody1 43,109 46,278 45,636 50,962 64,602
Number of people convicted for a criminal offence 2,182,635 1,878,287 1,493,936 1,343,227 1,413,449
1 Average population in custody including fine defaulters.

Mr. Stinchcombe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) fathers and (b) mothers are in prison who are aged (i) under 18, (ii) 18 to 21, (iii) 21 to 31, and (iv) 31 to 41. [97268]

Hilary Benn

There is no routinely collected data on the number and age of fathers and mothers in prison. However, a Home Office study of a large sample of imprisoned women and mothers, published in 1997, found that 60 per cent. of female prisoners, sentenced and unsentenced, had dependent children under the age of 18.Another smaller but more recent study of women prisoners and their work in custody, published in 2000, found broadly similar results (out of a sample of 567 sentenced women, 66 percent. had dependent children under the age of 18).

All prison service establishments holding young offenders (i.e. those aged under 21 years of age)
Establishment Number of young offenders Number of adults Total population
Swinfen Hall 313 0 313
Thorn Cross 177 0 177
Wandsworth 2 1,426 1,428
Warren Hill 209 182 391
Werrington 118 0 118
Wetherby 321 0 321
Winchester 1 577 578
Woodhill 101 649 750
Total 10,963 25,467 36,430

Mr. Gibb

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average weekly number of offenders was(a) entering the prison system and (b) released from the prison system in each year since 1995. [98139]

Hilary Benn

The information is given in the following table:

The average weekly number of prisoners initially receive and discharged
Year Receptions Discharges
1995 2,420 1,600
1996 2,320 1,500
1997 2,410 1,500
1998 2,540 1,700
1999 2,600 1,800
2000 2,500 1,800
2001 2,720 1,700
2002 2,820 1,700

Mr. Gibb

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the(a) total prison population and (b) number of people convicted of a criminal offence where in (i) 1980, (ii) 1985, (iii) 1990, (iv) 1995 and (v) 2000. [98140]

Hilary Benn

The information is given in the table:

Directly equivalent information for male prisoners is not available. However, the 1991 England and Wales prison survey showed that 32 per cent. of male prisoners had dependent children who had been living with them just before they were imprisoned; the corresponding figure for female prisoners was 47 per cent.

Mr. Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the(a) capacity and (b) occupancy is of each prison. [96770]

Hilary Benn

The information requested is shown in the following table. The table shows the population and operational capacity of all establishments in England and Wales. Operational capacity is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime.

Population and operational capacity at all Prison Service establishments in England and Wales, as at 31 January 2003
Establishment Operational capacity Population
Acklington 802 791
Albany 446 435
Altcourse 1,010 982
Ashfield 400 214
Ashwell 536 534
Ashkam Grange 141 131
Aylesbury 352 342
Bedford 464 458
Belmarsh 869 880
Birmingham 930 938
Blakenhurst 880 869
Blantyre House 122 116
Blundeston 464 450
Brinsford 493 452
Bristol 606 607
Brixton 798 795
Brockhill 167 146
Blundeston 464 450
Buckley Hall 320 299
Bullingdon 963 893
Bullwood Hall 184 165
Camp Hill 545 538
Canterbury 304 302
Cardiff 671 658
Castington 410 281
Channings Wood 627 614
Chelmsford 576 579
Coldingley 390 385
Cookham Wood 115 112
Dartmoor 625 613
Deerbolt 479 397
Doncaster 1,120 1,112
Dorchester 263 225
Dovegate 860 736
Dover 316 263
Downview 228 214
Drake Hall 315 245
Durham 736 700
East Sutton Park 100 88
Eastwood Park 326 248
Elmley 985 990
Erlestoke 386 383
Everthorpe 378 371
Exeter 533 502
Featherstone 615 610
Feltham 713 641
Ford 541 426
Forest Bank 1,040 1,017
Foston Hall 235 228
Frankland 652 652
Full Sutton 607 601
Garth 667 648
Gartree 276 281
Glen Parva 808 742
Gloucester 330 302
Grendon 231 218
Guys Marsh 570 553
Halsar 160 142
Haverigg 564 499
Hewell Grange 178 174
Highdown 178 713
Highpoint North 231 201
Highpoint South 670 649
Hindley 557 497
Hollesley Bay 329 199
Holloway 483 453
Holme House 995 946
Hull 1,031 1,009
Huntercombe 368 333
Kingston 197 186
Kirkham 561 398
Kirklevington 183 179
Lancaster 244 243
Lancaster Farms 526 461
Latchmere House 196 190
Leeds 1,254 1,240

Population and operational capacity at all Prison Service establishments in England and Wales, as at 31 January 2003
Establishment Operational capacity Population
Leicester 371 351
Lewes 530 504
Leyhill 512 360
Lincoln 365 365
Lindholme 761 740
Littlehey 666 651
Liverpool 1,504 1,392
Long Lartin 441 426
Low Newton 296 253
Lowdham Grange 524 508
Maidstone 548 535
Manchester 1,281 1,253
Moorland 1,039 944
Morton Hall 356 292
Mount 760 748
New Hall 386 332
North Sea Camp 307 264
Northallerton 254 160
Norwich 772 725
Nottingham 550 549
Onley 580 536
Pare 1,028 986
Parkhurst 527 502
Pentonville 1,205 1,253
Portland 456 426
Prescoed 130 83
Preston 664 652
Ranby 778 716
Reading 289 248
Risley 1,053 974
Rochester 180 172
Rye Hill 664 646
Send 220 208
Shepton Mallet 189 191
Srewsbury 350 310
Spring Hill 296 270
Stafford 640 627
Standford Hill 464 360
Stocken 582 579
Stoke Heath 688 603
Styal 463 427
Sudbury 519 488
Swaleside 777 756
Swansea 368 338
Swinfen Hall 320 316
Thorn Cross 316 176
Usk 242 224
Verne 587 572
Wakefield 581 566
Wandsworth 1,461 1,462
Warren Hill 220 196
Wayland 666 662
Wealstun 712 564
Weare 400 362
Wellingborough 526 523
Werrington 148 111
Wetherby 360 331
Whatton 320 318
Whitemoor 472 402
Winchester 637 606
Wolds 350 316
Woodhill 773 764
Wormwood Scrubs 1,229 1,242
Wymott 822 809
Total 75,456 70,909

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department many prisons in England and Wales have been equipped with stair lifts to help elderly infirm people. [96019]

Hilary Benn

Prison Service establishments install stair lifts as operational needs dictate. Such installations are funded locally. This information is not therefore held centrally and could be collected at disproportionate cost.

Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant women are held in prisons in(a) England and (b) Wales. [96851]

Hilary Benn

Statistics on the number of pregnant women held in prisons in England and Wales are not collected routinely. However, a one-off survey was conducted on 13 November 2002 and has recently been collated. At that time, there were 75 pregnant women held within the female prison estate.

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