Tuesday, 7th May 1996.

Guardian of 19th April is substantially correct.

Letter to Earl Russell from the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, Mr. Peter Mathison, dated 3rd May 1996.

I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary Question asking whether the information on the reduction of Department of Social Security out-of-hours service in the correspondence columns of the Guardian of 19th April is substantially correct.

I recently outlined the Benefits Agency's plans for the future delivery of social security benefits based on the Benefits Agency vision of "right money to the right person at the right time, every time".

The agency will carry out a wide-ranging review of its activities as part of the Departmental Change Programme. Such a programme of change will cover all fundamental areas of the organisation's business and we are committed to achieve a 25 per cent. improvement in our productivity by 1998/99. In the first year it has been necessary to identify efficiencies and economies in excess of £200 million. All efficiencies and economies have been considered alongside the expenditure priorities the agency has been set.

It is against this background that the agency decided to review the need for the out-of-hours service which provides a service to customers at night and weekends. A decision on its viability is expected later this year.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Letter to Baroness Hilton of Eggardon from the Director of Services of the Prison Service, Mr. A. J. Butler, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about economies in the Prison Service and the risk of riots.

The 1995 public expenditure settlement made additional funding available to the Prison Service to meet the expected increases in the prison population as well as for security improvements and to combat drug abuse in prisons. But it is also the Government's policy to exercise firm control over public expenditure and to secure greater efficiency in the running of public services. The savings being required of the Prison Service are broadly consistent with those expected of the public services generally.

It has been made clear to governors that, in preparing their business plans, they should maintain the balance between essential security and control measures, constructive and effective regimes for prisoners and providing support for staff.

Letter to Baroness Hilton of Eggardon from the Director of Services of the Prison Service, Mr. A. J. Butler, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about probation officers employed in prisons.

The whole-time equivalent strength of probation staff employed in prisons on 30 June 1995 was 645. Current plans would reduce the numbers of probation staff employed in prisons by around 85 between 1 April 1996 and 31 March 1997.

The Prison Service is committed to partnership with the Probation Service to deliver the custodial and non-custodial parts of a prisoner's sentence effectively. Governors have been discussing with chief probation officers the scope for improvements in efficiency and for more effective use of all available resources. This includes other ways of discharging continuing tasks which have been undertaken by probation staff but which do not require their specialist skills.

Letter to Baroness Hilton of Eggardon from the Director of Services of the Prison Service, Mr. A. J. Butler, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about staff cuts and the recruitment of accountants.

Reductions in the overall numbers of staff are part of the Prison Service's plans for improving its cost efficiency. Final decisions on numbers have not been taken. These decisions will be reached following local consultation with the unions and will take into account the operational needs of the service, available financial provision, the scope for cost reductions in other areas and the numbers of staff who have applied for voluntary early retirement and severance.

The recruitment of additional accountants on short fixed-term contracts meets an operational need of the service to improve its standards of financial control.

Letter to Baroness Hilton of Eggardon from the Director of Services of the Prison Service, Mr. A. J. Butler, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about whether most modernisation schemes in the country's 136 jails are to be abandoned next year and whether maintenance is to be reduced to the "safe minimum".

The reduction in the capital spending provision for 1996–7 has led to some modernisation schemes being deferred until later years, to be financed either through conventional funding or through the private sector. None of these projects has been abandoned.

Some maintenance schemes have also been deferred from 1996–7. Spending in the current year is on those projects identified as vital. However the Prison Service strategy is to monitor and review the condition of maintenance at prisons on a regular basis, and it is possible that some of those schemes that have been deferred might be rescheduled to 1996–7 if the situation demands.

Letter to Baroness Hilton of Eggardon from the Director of Services of the Prison Service, Mr A. J. Butler, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about whether unsafe sections of 14 jails are to be closed and whether, as a result of such closures, police cells will be used to hold prisoners.

The reduction in Prison Service capital expenditure during the current financial year will mean that our plans to modernise and/or install sanitation in wings at 14 prisons will be amended. The general effect is that some schemes due to start in 1996–7 will be deferred until later years.

The Prison Service has already taken out of use wings at seven of the 14 prisons to ensure that all prisoners have 24 hour access to sanitation.

Work on the remaining projects planned for 1996–7 has been rephased and will be funded either conventionally, or through the private finance initiative (PFI). Where governors have concerns about possible compromises either to security or to safety, they will make local short-term arrangements to strengthen other aspects of security, such as CCTV or undertake short-term maintenance to keep facilities operating safely.

An assessment of the effect on police cell use of the reduction in capital expenditure was made in December 1996. This work concluded that there was no significant increase in the risk of using police cells in the 1996–97 financial year.

The Prison Service has not been using police cells since June 1995. Apart from a major unplanned loss of accommodation or an unexpected rise in the population above current projections, we do not plan to use police cells.

Letter to Lord Lester of Herne Hill from the Director of Security and Programmes of the Prison Service, dated May 1996.

Lady Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about prisoners' access to education facilities.

The Prison Service is committed to ensuring that prisoners who are likely to benefit from access to appropriate educational facilities should have opportunities to do so. However control of public expenditure is fundamental to government policy and the Government are seeking efficiency improvements and economies throughout the public sector, from which the Prison Service is not exempt.

Governors have been asked to reduce their overall cost per prisoner place by 9.5 per cent. over the next three years. The Prisons Board has issued guidance on cost reductions which makes it clear that the emphasis should be on securing greater efficiency, with reductions in regime activities such as education made as a last resort. The guidance also states that priority should be given to safeguarding activities which contribute to security and control; are constructive and purposeful; offer good value for money; and help prisoners tackle their offending behaviour.

In making decisions about their education programme, governors will be guided by the recently issued National Core Curriculum document, which emphasises the importance of basic literacy and numeracy, English for speakers of other languages, information technology and social and life skills. They will also be taking account of courses which have few prisoners, are costly to run and which offer qualifications that do not have any clear use to prisoners in helping them lead law-abiding and useful lives after release.

While some prisons are likely to seek to reduce expenditure on education, others will expand their education provision.

Protecting the Public (Cm 3190) omits any reference to the fact that the average custodial sentence imposed by the Crown Court upon those convicted for a second offence of domestic burglary appears to have been 1.6 months shorter than in the case of first offenders and whether they know of any explanation for this apparent sentencing anomaly.

Protecting the Public (Cm 3190) in order to show in relation to second, third and seventh or subsequent offenders who had previously been subject to an immediate custodial sentence the average increase in the length of their sentences.

Protecting the Public (Cm 3190) by stating the criteria adopted in selecting the sample of 949 offenders and further stating in relation to each of the four conviction categories (a) the number of offenders who were aged 17 or less, (b) the number of offenders who were aged more than 17 and less than 21, (c) how many of the offenders had previously been sentenced to immediate custody for this offence and (d) what were the shortest and longest sentences imposed.