asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time during which young offenders are locked in their cells each day whilst undergoing assessment in prison prior to borstal training.

The period during which a young offender in the borstal allocation centres at Manchester and Wormwood Scrubs has to be locked in his cell varies from day to day according to the numbers involved and the availability of staff. In general, young offenders at Manchester are likely to be out of their cells for about eight hours a day, and at Wormwood Scrubs for about 11 hours.