Written question asked by Baroness Stern (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord McNally (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 7 February 2011.

Prisoners: Work

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of prisoners in HMP Gloucester without work, training or education in the last six months of 2010; and what was the average number of hours they spent locked in their cells.

Answer: Information on the number of prisoners without work, training or education is not collected centrally. However, data are collected on the average hours that prisoners spend per week in purposeful activities, including work, training and education. The latest available figures relate to 2009-10 and show that prisoners at HMP Gloucester spent 11.3 hours per week on average in work and 4.0 hours per week on average in education and training. Data are collected on the average number of hours that prisoners are unlocked per weekday. The latest available figures, relating to 2009-10, indicate that prisoners at HMP Gloucester spent on average 8.5 hours unlocked. From this it is possible to estimate that they spent on average 15.5 hours (24-8.5) locked in their cells. This includes the hours when prisoners are asleep. The figures used in the answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 6337; 725 c32WA
Session: 2010-12
Subjects: Employment Education Prisoners Prison accommodation HMP Gloucester
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk