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Prison Accommodation

Volume 461: debated on Tuesday 19 June 2007

To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what proportion of inmates detained in the prison estate are held in areas designated as dormitory accommodation in (a) the juvenile estate, (b) male prison establishments and (c) female prison establishments, broken down by category of establishment; and if she will make a statement. (142869)

The number of prisoners held in dormitory accommodation, as defined in Prison Service Instruction 09/2007 Smoke Free Legislation: Prison Service Application, is as follows:

Establishment

Male prisoners (closed conditions)1

Male prisoners (open conditions)2

Women prisoners

Total

Askham Grange

0

0

20

20

Brockhill

8

0

0

8

Dorchester

4

0

0

4

Dover3

105

0

0

105

East Sutton Park

0

0

50

50

Foston Hall

0

0

3

3

Hewell Grange

0

130

0

130

Holloway

0

0

169

169

Lancaster Castle

45

0

0

45

New Hall

0

0

13

13

North Sea Camp

0

0

0

0

Norwich

3

0

0

3

Styal

0

0

6

6

Wormwood Scrubs

15

0

0

15

Total

180

130

261

571

1 Male prisoners held in closed dormitory conditions are lower security prisoners, invariably category C.

2 Male prisoners held in open dormitory conditions are category D prisoners.

3 Dover is a Border and Immigration Agency removal centre managed by the Prison Service.

There is further accommodation that has been converted into cubicles from former dormitories, which may not have separate ventilation. The numbers of prisoners held in this accommodation is not recorded centrally.

No prisoners aged under 18 are held in dormitory accommodation.

To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what proportion of the space within the prison estate is designated as private residential space; and if she will make a statement. (142876)

An assessment of the proportion of the total prison estate used as private residential space could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. All cells containing up to four persons will be regarded as private residential space for the purposes of designation as places where smoking is permissible when occupied only by smokers.