To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to reduce (a) delays and (b) late arrivals of prisoners from court; what steps are being taken to improve the information received by prisons from escort contractors; and what assessment has been made of potential benefits of placing the responsibility for escort services on the Prison Service. [93329]
The delivery of prisoners to court on time has been affected by the recent increase in the prison population. The Prison Service is trying in a number of ways to improve performance and service delivery.A recent pilot exercise at Pentonville prison streamlined the escort contractor's work so as to prioritise the delivery of prisoners to court, according to the needs and timings of court business; this resulted in an 11 per cent. improvement in performance in London. The pilot may be extended across the wider Prison Service estate, subject to further findings.The number of courts linked to the video link system is also increasing, with 123 magistrates' courts and one crown court currently using the service. A further 30 crown courts are to receive video link equipment by the end of August 2003, with funding currently being sought for a further 50 crown courts to be linked to the system. This use of the video links system between courts and prisons, which results in a decrease in the number of prisoners having to attend court in person, should help to release contractors' resources and so reduce delays in the movement of prisoners.The Prison Service is also reviewing the internal working practices of some of those prisons that serve the courts to see if a closer correlation between those arrangements and court business hours could be achieved.
The contracting out of prisoner escort arrangements has offered better value for money, a reduction in the number of escapes and has freed up prison officers to concentrate on their core duties. A recent Prison Service review confirmed that the service should continue to be contracted out. It also concluded that existing contracts, which are planned to become operational in 2004, should be replaced with more flexible ones to allow the Prison Service to respond more quickly to future business needs. The Prison Service is developing this approach and, together with the relevant agencies in the criminal justice system, is considering how all involved can work together to improve the service.