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Prisons: Television

Volume 497: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much HM Prison Service (a) spent on televisions in prisons in the last 12 months for which figures are available and (b) received from prisoners under contracts for television rental. (292515)

Prisoners have access to televisions in-cell as part of local incentives and earned privileges schemes. Prisoners can rent televisions for £1 per week. The revenue generated from this charge is used for the purchase of new and replacement televisions and to fund the switchover of the prison estate from analogue to digital television.

In the financial year 2008-09, HM Prison Service expenditure and rental income from prisoners in respect of in-cell TV is shown in the following table.

£

Expenditure

2,311,000

Rental income from prisoners

2,135,000