To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average number of hours per day that prisoners were locked in their cells in each of the last three years (a) per prison establishment, and (b) in the Prison Service as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [80038]

Figures covering the information required are not routinely collated or held. It is, however, the Government's policy to maximise the opportunities for prisoners to engage in purposeful activities, including work, outside their cells, and, to that end, they have in recent years set the Scottish Prison Service targets for prisoner programme participation.After 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.