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Offender Management Bill

moved Amendment No. 101: 101: Clause 14, page 9, line 29, at end insert— ““( ) A prisoner custody officer may not exercise the powers in this section unless he has completed at least one course of appropriate safeguarding training including explicit child safety, protection and welfare provisions.”””” The noble Viscount said: This follows on naturally from what the Minister was just saying on the previous amendment. My Amendments Nos. 101 and 103 would add valuable safeguards to the Bill to accompany the new power of detention given to prison officers. Currently, nothing in the Bill attaches specific child safety protection and welfare training in relation to the detention power. Given that a large number of people will be implementing this new power who will not have any experience of holding people in custody, it is vital that they are given the appropriate training in respect of detention, safe handling and the proper management of custody. The Minister will not have forgotten that wein your Lordships’ House will shortly debate the provisions for a duty of care owed to those held in custody. I do not believe that we need to rehearse those arguments again. The principle has been accepted by the Government that the Prison Service, in whatever form, owes a duty of care to those held in custody. Noble Lords have made it clear that they hope that there will imminently be such provisions in the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill. These amendments would be an essential and helpful addition to those providing prison services. I beg to move.