§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has the authority to carry out inspections of police cells when they are being used to hold prisoners under Operation Safeguard. [160698]
§ Paul GogginsOperation Safeguard is currently not active. Any prisoner held in police cells is held under the 1980 Imprisonment (Temporary Provisions) Act. In line with this act, prisoners held in police cells are in the custody of the Chief Police Officer of the region and not subject to prison rules or the Prison Act 1952. The Chief Police Officer will therefore be responsible for the welfare of any prisoners. The Chief Inspector of Prisons could, however, at the invitation of the Chief Police Officer concerned attend at a police station and comment on the conditions in which such prisoners are kept and their treatment.