- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, whether it would envisage drawing staff from a private prison in the event of a contingency such as a riot at another prison facility and, if so, whether any payment would be made, detailing the services that would be provided and the payment envisaged.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:At present all prisons participate in mutual aid arrangements without payment. We see no reason why this practice should not continue, but we would take a final view in the procurement process.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will release figures comparing relative improvements in literacy, numeracy or other basic skills for prisoners serving terms of imprisonment at private prisons and at public prisons and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:No such data is currently available within SPS as a whole. Since prisoners move between prisons during their sentence it is difficult to make meaningful comparisons.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, whether, in agreeing the operation specification for a private prison, it would specify a minimum acceptable staffing level.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service see no need to do so but they would consider such matters during the procurement process.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, what procedures will be used for vetting the operating track record of companies tendering to operate private prisons.
Answer
Such matters would be considered by the Scottish Prison Service in the procurement process.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, whether it envisages in its contracts for private prisons or otherwise setting basic standards for training of staff in private prisons, for qualification of staff trainers and for verification of such standards and whether there will be any related key performance indicators, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.
Answer
Suitable contractual arrangements already exist for HM Prison Kilmarnock in relation to these, and the Scottish Prison Service would expect to aim to put a similar arrangement in place in any future contracts.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) estates review, what basic standards it envisages putting in place for improvements in literacy, numeracy and other basic skills among prisoners serving terms of imprisonment at private prisons, whether any key performance indicators will relate to these standards, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service's Vision is to improve its correctional services of which literacy, numeracy and basic skills are a part. There already are KPI's relating to education, prisoner programmes and approved prisoner activities covering all existing prisons including HM Prison Kilmarnock, and SPS is and will be able to establish suitable contractual arrangements to achieve this.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, what basic standards it envisages for social work at private prisons, whether these will include involvement of social workers in induction, work with families, pre-release work with inmates, sentence planning and suicide risk management, and what key performance indicators will relate to these, giving the reasons for its position on these matters.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service's Vision is to improve its correctional services, of which these features are a part, in all present and future prisons, and is, and will be, able to establish suitable contractual arrangements to achieve this.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, what basic standards it envisages for medical services at private prisons, giving the reasons for its position on this matter
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:Health care services within prisons are provided in accordance with the Prison Rules and SPS' Health Care Standards. We have recently affirmed our commitment to continued improvement in the delivery of quality health care services through the publication of our Framework for Clinical Governance, which will apply in all our prisons.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, whether it envisages setting in its contracts for private prisons basic standards for drug detoxification facilities and whether this will be a key performance indicator, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service's Vision is to improve its correctional services, of which drug regimes are a part, in all present and future prisons; and is, and will be, able to establish suitable contractual arrangements to achieve this.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Scottish Prison Service estates review, whether it envisages setting in its contracts for private prisons a limit on waiting times to see a social worker and whether this will be a key performance indicator, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service's Vision is to improve its correctional services, of which prison social work is part, in all present and future prisons, and is, and will be, able to establish suitable contractual arrangements to achieve this.
