§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers were employed by the Prison Service on a part-time basis on 31 March in each of the last five years. [183953]
§ Paul GogginsThe table contains the number of part-time officers in each year since 1999. The figures include prison officers, senior officers and principal officers.
31 March Number 2004 662 2003 501 2002 343 2001 211 2000 142 1999 140 The figures for 1999 and 2000 are estimates. There has been a significant increase in the number of officers working part-time, which is a reflection of the greater emphasis placed on work-life balance in recent years.
An addition, the Prison Service Equal Opportunities policy was issued in 2003 to encourage more staff to work part-time hours. This part of the Service's work-life balance policy, which also includes; job sharing and other flexible working patterns.
609WIt is now the case that all posts including those on recruitment must be available on either a part-time or job-share basis, except where critical examination by line management shows the post to be unsuitable for part-time or job-share.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the prison population was on 31 March in each of the last live years. [183954]
§ Paul GogginsThe prison population in England and Wales on 31 March in each of the last five years is provided in the table.
Prison population, England and Wales, 31 March Number 2000 65,463 2001 65,394 2002 69,784 2003 72,954 2004 75,295
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have undertaken dirty protests in each of the last five years. [183955]
§ Paul GogginsThe information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been required to remain in a hospital overnight with prison officer supervision in each of the last five years. [183956]
§ Paul GogginsThis information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the main benefits of competition within the Prison Service are. [182304]
§ Paul GogginsCompetitive tendering is one of the principles underlying Government purchasing activities and contributes to seeking and demonstrating good value for money. Additionally, requirements above certain financial thresholds stipulated by the EU have to be advertised in accordance with EU rules on public procurement.
Competition ensures that a contract is formed with the most suitable supplier in the market for the goods or services required. Checks undertaken as part of the procurement process will mean that the supplier is financially sound, technically and commercially capable of providing the goods or services, submits the best offer in value for money terms and can be expected to provide the goods or service successfully.
All of this reduces the risk to the Department of a failed contract and provides an audit trail that illustrates the department's commitment to an impartial selection and award process.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison healthcare officers were(a) in post and (b) planned to be in post on 31 March. [183983]
610W
§ Paul GogginsOn 31 March 2004 the Prison Service corporate personnel database recorded 488 prison officer healthcare staff in post, compared to an operational staffing requirement of 550. This includes prison officer, senior officer and principal officer specialists. It excludes officers who are training to be specialist healthcare officers.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison healthcare officers there were in each prison establishment on 31 March in each of the last five years. [183984]
§ Paul GogginsInformation on the number of specialist healthcare officers within each public sector prison establishment for each year since 2001 is contained in the table. Prior to 2001, this data was not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The figures include prison officer, senior officer and principal officer specialists and are all on a headcount basis.
611W
Specialist healthcare officers Establishment 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 Acklington 3 2 1 –— Aylesbury 3 2 1 2 Bedford 4 3 2 2 Belmarsh 9 11 10 9 Birmingham 19 15 13 14 Blantyre House 1 1 1 1 Blundeston 3 3 2 — Bristol 5 3 5 5 Brixton 23 21 13 11 Brockhill 1 — — — Bullingdon 5 5 6 6 Canterbury 6 5 5 5 Cardiff 7 7 8 7 Castington 1 1 1 1 Channings Wood 3 3 3 4 Chelmsford 6 5 6 7 Coldingley 1 2 2 2 Dartmoor 8 6 6 4 Dorchester 3 3 2 2 Dover 3 2 2 2 Downview 2 1 1 — Durham 9 7 6 6 Eastwood Park — — 1 — Elmley 8 6 10 7 Everthorpe 2 1 1 — Exeter 7 6 5 6 Featherstone 3 2 2 2 Feltham 6 5 4 15 Ford 2 1 1 1 Frankland 15 13 12 12 Full Sutton 14 11 7 6 Garth 14 14 12 6 Gartree 7 7 8 7 Glen Parva 5 5 4 2 Gloucester 5 4 4 2 Grendon 14 12 6 7 Guys Marsh 2 2 2 2 Haverigg 2 2 2 2 High Down 3 3 4 7 Highpoint 4 3 1 — Hindley 11 12 10 8 Hollesley Bay 3 3 — — Holme House 8 7 7 8 HQ 1 4 3 1 Hull 11 8 11 10 Huntercombe 1 1 4 3 Kingston 4 3 3 2 Kirkham 1 1 1 1 Lancaster — — — 1 Latchmere House 1 1 1 1
Specialist healthcare officers Establishment 31 March 2001 31 March 2002 31 March 2003 31 March 2004 Leeds 17 14 14 14 Leicester 5 7 5 7 Lewes 11 8 5 4 Leyhill 1 2 1 1 Lincoln 16 14 8 8 Lindholme 3 3 3 2 Littlehey 5 5 2 2 Liverpool 41 35 34 28 Long Lartin 2 2 2 — Low Newton 2 2 2 2 Maidstone 2 2 1 1 Manchester 15 15 13 12 Moorland 15 15 13 13 New Hall — — — 2 Northallerton 1 — — — Norwich 10 8 10 9 Nottingham 9 8 8 6 Onley 2 2 2 2 Parkhurst 15 15 14 16 Pentonville 7 7 7 5 Portland 4 4 4 3 Preston 19 19 17 13 Ranby 4 6 5 5 Reading 4 4 5 5 Risley 2 2 2 1 Rochester 9 6 6 5 Send 1 — — Shrewsbury 2 — — — Edmunds Hill — 2 2 2 Stafford 9 8 6 4 Standford Hill 3 3 3 3 Stocken 2 1 — — Sudbury 2 1 1 1 Swaleside 4 5 5 8 Swansea 6 6 7 7 Swinfen Hall 5 3 1 1 The Mount 1 1 1 1 The Verne 1 — — — Thorn Cross 2 2 3 3 Usk/Prescoed — — — 1 Wakefield 16 14 14 14 Wandsworth 8 6 7 4 Warren Hill — — 4 5 Wayland 4 4 4 3 Wealstun 1 1 1 — Weare 1 — 1 1 Werrington 2 3 4 2 Wetherby 1 2 2 2 Whitemoor 5 9 9 6 Winchester 13 12 13 11 Woodhill 12 20 16 14 Wormwood Scrubs 16 18 14 14 Wymott — — — 6 Total 617 571 523 488
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the training programme is for prison healthcare officers; and how many officers have undertaken the training in each of the last five years. [183985]
§ Paul GogginsThis information is not available in precisely the form requested. Prison staff without nursing qualifications are eligible to become healthcare officers. The expectation is that they will obtain a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in custodial healthcare or another health-related subject.
The first pilot for the NVQ in custodial healthcare, which began in June 2002 with 53 candidates from 24 establishments, is due to be completed on 4 August 612W 2004. The Prison Service is currently compiling information on which healthcare officers already have a relevant NVQ and who would like to obtain one.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison custody officer certificates have been withdrawn by his Department from staff at Her Majesty's Prison Bronzefield. [183986]
§ Paul GogginsThe Office for Contracted Prisons certifies all Prison Custody Officers. The Certification of the first Prison Custody Officer for HMP Bronzefield took place on the 10 June 2004. From this date 123 people have been certified to work at HMP Bronzefield as Prison Custody Officers. At present no certificates have been withdrawn.
§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the innovative working practices, methods and programmes that have been introduced at privately run prison establishments that have been subsequently introduced into publicly run prisons as best practice; and if he will make a statement. [184690]
§ Paul GogginsThere is no simple way to track the spread of innovative working practices between the private and public sectors of the Prison Service. However since the first private prison opened in 1992 significant improvements have been achieved in the treatment of prisoners, regimes and facilities, staff deployment and the use of technology. The introduction of contestability through Market Testing will further encourage the dissemination of good practice.