Prisons: In-cell Sanitation

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale Excerpts

Tuesday 12th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord McNally]

My Lords, I understand that that is the process. If there is any failure or any increase in demand, the prison authorities redeploy guards so that the electronic system can be used and so that when, occasionally, the system breaks down, it can be operated manually.

[Lord Corbett of Castle Vale]

My Lords, on the problem of providing in-cell sanitation in older prisons, I invite the Minister simply to put his foot down and say, “These cells will not be used from the end of this month”. That is the way to solve this.

[Lord McNally]

What we would do with the 2,000 prisoners in those cells, I am not sure.

[Lord Corbett of Castle Vale]

I am asking the question.

[Lord McNally]

Well, I can answer a question with a question. We inherited a prison population of 83,000. That also has problems in terms of accommodation.