§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions he has had with the governor of HMP Gloucester regarding(a) the removal of young adults from the prison in June 2001 and (b) the reintroduction of young adults to the prison in June 2002; [89044]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with the governor of HMP Gloucester regarding conditions for young adults at the prison. [89043]
§ Hilary BennMinor and temporary changes to the population of a prison for operational reasons are a matter for the Director General of the Prison Service.
The young offender population was removed from Gloucester prison in 2001 as there was sufficient accommodation available at other establishments, including Ashfield prison. In June 2002, the rapid growth in the prison population as a whole resulted in Gloucester prison again being used to accommodate young offenders. I am assured by the area manager and the governing governor responsible for Gloucester prison that conditions for young offenders at Gloucester are satisfactory.