§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives his Department has put in place to deal with racial conflict in the prison system. [176556]
§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 9 June 2004]: The Prison Service is undertaking a number of initiatives to address racism. In December 2003 a full scale and comprehensive joint action plan to combat all aspects of racism was agreed between the Prison Service and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). The plan, entitled "Implementing Race Equality in Prisons—A Shared Agenda for Change", was produced in partnership with the CRE. It brings together work currently being undertaken to ensure compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 through the Prison Service Race Equality Scheme and incorporates lessons learned from the CRE Formal Investigation into race relations.