§ Mr. StinchcombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications to release on temporary licence have been made this year and in each of the last five years in(a) all prisons in England and Wales and (b) each individual prison in England and Wales. [130534]
§ Paul GogginsThe Prison Service does not collect the numbers of applications for release on temporary licence. However, the numbers of releases on temporary licence listed by type of establishment and by type of licence are published in Prison statistics England and Wales 2001 (Cm 5743), which is held in the Library.
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§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the prisons that have prison visiting facilities which are(a) permanent and (b) temporary; [131208]
(2) which of the prisons that have prison visiting facilities include facilities which cater for (a) people with disabilities and (b) children; [131209]
(3) which prison visiting facilities have been (a) refurbished, (b) built and (c) relocated within the last five years; and what the cost was of the work undertaken; [131210]
(4) which prison visiting facilities are included in an improvement programme; what the nature of the improvements planned is in each case; and what the cost is of work to be undertaken. [131211]
§ Paul GogginsThe Prison Service has a statutory obligation to encourage and assist prisoners to maintain outside contacts. In recognition of the important role that visits can play in achieving this, as well as the benefits for prisoners' successful resettlement, all prisons have permanent visiting areas. Over 90 establishments provide additional facilities such as visitors' centres.
Prison Governors are required to comply with the duty under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to provide adequate facilities for people with disabilities and to make 'reasonable adjustments' to existing facilities. In particular, visitors to prison must be able to access all visits facilities. All establishments are currently assessing their facilities, but there is no central record of work conducted. Over 80 prisons provide play areas for children and an increasing number also offer extended day visits. Our policy is to encourage establishments to provide such facilities wherever possible, subject to individual operational and resource considerations.
Individual governors initiate refurbishments to prisons costing less than £50,000 and the expenditure is incurred from their local budgets. Information on where such refurbishments have taken place and the costs involved are not held centrally. All newly built and contracted-out prisons are required to have a visitors' centre, distinct from visits halls, under the terms of their contract and the costs of building these range from around £25,000 to £200,000.
Prison Service policy is to provide adequate facilities and these are under constant review. However, as most improvements are not centrally resourced, there is no comprehensive record of work carried out, or of the associated costs.