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Prison Service: Corruption

Volume 463: debated on Monday 23 July 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent assessment is of levels of corruption within the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement. (150736)

I refer to my noble friend the Lord Falconer of Thoroton's statement in the other place on 10 May 2007. We recognise that there are small pockets of corruption in Her Majesty's Prison Service. We are focusing on five steps: properly identifying the extent of the threat; working to improve our intelligence on matters of corruption; working to implement common standards across the prison estate; ensuring we reinforce a culture where corruption is not tolerated; and working closely with police and other interested agencies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on what date Michael Spurr was interviewed as part of the Tasker investigation; and if he will make a statement; (150961)

(2) pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007, Official Report, column 390W, on the Tasker inquiry, who the previous commissioning authority referred to in the answer was; and if he will make a statement;

(3) on what date (a) Keith Munns and (b) Nick Pascoe received a copy of the partial report of the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;

(4) on what date Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the Tasker inquiry; on what date he relinquished responsibility as commissioning authority for the inquiry; to whom he relinquished it; and if he will make a statement;

(5) on what date Nick Pascoe took over the commissioning authority role for the Tasker inquiry; who the commissioning authority was immediately before that; and if he will make a statement;

(6) who was responsible as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry after Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;

(7) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the partial report of the Tasker inquiry prior to (a) agreeing to be interviewed and (b) being interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;

(8) who acted as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry between the retirement of Keith Munns and the transfer to Nick Pascoe; and if he will make a statement;

(9) on what date Ron Tasker was informed that (a) Keith Munns had ceased to be the commissioning authority for his investigation and (b) Nick Pascoe had assumed responsibility; whether a draft of his interim report had been submitted to the commissioning authority previous to either of these dates; to whom the draft of the interim report was submitted and on what date; and if he will make a statement;

(10) what representations were received by (a) Helen Edwards and (b) Phil Wheatley on Keith Munns' role as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry (i) while area manager for London, (ii) at the point of his retirement and (iii) subsequent to his retirement; and if he will make a statement;

(11) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the interim report of the Tasker inquiry before being interviewed as part of the inquiry on 10 May 2007; and if he will make a statement;

(12) pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007, Official Report, column 2057W, on the Prison Service: public appointments, to whom Keith Munns was reporting when he was supporting the completion of the Tasker inquiry report; whether he was supporting Nick Pascoe or Michael Spurr in the preparation of the interim report of the Tasker inquiry; whether Michael Spurr was acting as the commissioning authority at the time of the appointment of Keith Munns for that role; on what date that appointment took place; and if he will make a statement;

(13) pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007, Official Report, column 1684W, on the Tasker inquiry, what the change in the terms of reference for the Tasker investigation was; and if he will make a statement;

(14) on what date the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service first asked Nick Pascoe to assume responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; on what date he became commissioning authority; and if he will make a statement;

(15) whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service has held responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;

(16) pursuant to the answers of 31 January 2007, Official Report, column 201W, on the Tasker investigation, 6 March 2007, Official Report, column1941W, on the Prison Service: disclosure of information and 23 April 2007, Official Report, column 980W, on Wandsworth Prison, what the cause is of the delay in the completion of the report of the Tasker inquiry; what estimate he has made of the additional cost incurred as a consequence of these delays; when he expects the Tasker report to be (a) completed and (b) submitted; and if he will make a statement.

Due to the number and detail of the linked questions it has not been possible to provide a full response. I will write to the hon. Member once I have considered fully.