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Written Question
Prisons: Offensive Weapons
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether prison canteens are permitted to sell materials that could be used to manufacture offensive weapons that could cause serious facial disfigurement.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Many everyday necessities can be adapted and misused as weapons. Deciding which items should be made available therefore involves striking a balance between considerations of safety and decency.

Establishments select their local canteen list from items in the National Product List. They make their selection on the basis of a dynamic local risk assessment, taking into account a range of factors, notably security, safety, and prisoner needs.

The Government is committed to making prisons a safe place to work and recognises the risks associated with prisoners’ access to everyday items, including wet-shave razors. In our 2021 Prisons Strategy White Paper, we committed ourselves to trialling alternatives to wet-shave razors in prisons, to determine whether a change in approach might lead to a safer environment for both prisoners and staff. Throughout 2022 and 2023, six pilots have been carried out in the male estate and one in the female estate. Testing at all sites has now concluded and the results are being evaluated. The evaluation, which is nearing completion, will enable us to make informed recommendations on future shaving provision in prison establishments.


Written Question
Prisons: Fire Prevention and First Aid
Tuesday 15th March 2022

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many privately operated prisons are currently without (1) up-to-date fire risk assessments, or (2) sufficient first aid cover, in place.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all government-operated prison buildings have fire risk assessments which are reviewed periodically. Sufficient first aid cover in the prison estate is provided by trained first aiders, and the number of those required in each establishment is achieved via a First Aid Risk Assessment of need. Prisoners also receive first aid/medical cover through on-site healthcare teams or local hospitals when required.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all privately operated prisons have fire safety risk assessments which are reviewed as part of the annual statutory compliance audits by the authority. There are contractual requirements in place for first aid and fire safety, the levels required are determined by prison operators. These are then checked periodically by the prison operator and an authority representative.

In privately managed prisons, annual assurance checks are carried out by representatives of HM Prison and Probation Service. Where any issues are highlighted, these are addressed with the contractor and, if necessary, action is taken to ensure that prisons meet their legal and contractual obligations.


Written Question
Prisons: Fire Prevention and First Aid
Tuesday 15th March 2022

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many government-operated prisons are currently without (1) up-to-date fire risk assessments, or (2) sufficient first aid cover, in place.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all government-operated prison buildings have fire risk assessments which are reviewed periodically. Sufficient first aid cover in the prison estate is provided by trained first aiders, and the number of those required in each establishment is achieved via a First Aid Risk Assessment of need. Prisoners also receive first aid/medical cover through on-site healthcare teams or local hospitals when required.

In accordance with the Fire Safety Order 2005, all privately operated prisons have fire safety risk assessments which are reviewed as part of the annual statutory compliance audits by the authority. There are contractual requirements in place for first aid and fire safety, the levels required are determined by prison operators. These are then checked periodically by the prison operator and an authority representative.

In privately managed prisons, annual assurance checks are carried out by representatives of HM Prison and Probation Service. Where any issues are highlighted, these are addressed with the contractor and, if necessary, action is taken to ensure that prisons meet their legal and contractual obligations.


Written Question
Prison Officers: Crimes against the Person
Friday 5th November 2021

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison officers completed at least one shift at (1) Wormwood Scrubs Prison, (2) Wandsworth Prison, (3) Belmarsh Prison, (4) Feltham Young Offender Institution, and (5) Liverpool Prison, between 18 and 25 October; and of these officers, how many were issued with spit kits for collection evidence of assault by using bodily fluid.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

The information regarding the number of prison officers who had completed at least one shift at the named establishments, between 18-25 October 2021, is detailed in the table below. No officers were issued with spit kits.

Prison

Number of officers

Belmarsh

317

Feltham

285

Liverpool

132

Wandsworth

202

Wormwood Scrubs

163


Written Question
Prisoners: Young People
Monday 9th March 2020

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current prisoners between 18 and 30 years of age have at least (1) seven, and (2) 15, previous convictions or cautions.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

Information relating to the criminal history of the current prison population is not held centrally and would require linking data sets. The requested information, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Department does, however, publish similar statistics annually on Gov.uk as part of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly collection. This includes a breakdown of the prison population by number of previous convictions and cautions, as well as age group and sex. The most recent release can be found on Table A1.19 of the ‘Annual Prison Population: 2019’ file within ‘Offender Management Statistics Quarterly: January to March 2019’.


Written Question
Prisoners
Tuesday 20th February 2018

Asked by: Earl Attlee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Keen of Elie on 8 February, what the “certified capacity of the prison population” refers to; and whether the prison population has exceeded the Certified Normal Accommodation of the prison system at any time over the last 20 years.

Answered by Lord Keen of Elie

Prison capacity is defined using the terms Certified Normal Accommodation (CNA) and Operational Capacity. These terms are defined separately as:

  • CNA, or uncrowded capacity, is the Prison Service’s own measure of accommodation. CNA represents the good, decent standard of accommodation that Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service aspires to provide all prisoners; and

  • the Operational Capacity of a prison is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by Prison Group Directors on the basis of operational judgement and experience.

The total prison population is in excess of CNA however this total is always below the total operational capacity of the estate.