Additional funding for H.M. Prison La Moye budget and how was it allocated 2000 to 2005

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WRITTEN QUESTIONS TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY DEPUTY R.G. LE HERISSIER OF ST. SAVIOUR

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 28th MARCH 2006

Question 1

Would the Minister inform members whether any additional funding was placed in the Prison Budget for each of the financial years 2000-2005 and, if so, how much and how was it allocated?

Answer

Additions were made to the Prison budget amounting to £300,000 in 2000, £1.1 million in 2005 and £348,900 in 2006. In 2000 the funds were used to supplement the staff budget. In 2005, the funds were used to meet the costs of Prison Officer overtime and of sending prisoners to the United Kingdom and also to supplement other areas of the budget associated with increased prisoner numbers. In 2006, the additional funds have been used to meet the increased cost of Prison Officer overtime.

In 2003, a permanent reduction in the budget for U.K. Prisoners, amounting to £200,000 resulted from the Fundamental Spending Review process. However, a reduction in prisoner numbers did not occur and, therefore, the saving could not be achieved, resulting in a deficit.

One-off funding has been made available to the Prison to meet overspends in each of the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 amounting to £370,800, £1.7 million and £500,000 respectively. These sums have been used primarily to meet the cost of Prison Officer overtime, the running costs associated with the operation of H' wing after its construction, and of sending prisoners to the United Kingdom.

A table, detailing the Prison budget for the period 2000-2006, and the number of prisoners detained in La Moye between 2000 and 2005, is attached.

Question 2

Would the Minister inform members from what budget area monies came from for the recent purchase of a new police speed car?

Answer

The funds for the acquisition of the vehicle and its equipment came from within the 2005 budget for the States of Jersey  Police,  and  this  budget's  targets  for  the  year  were  met.  The  budget  heading  used  was  the  Vehicle Replacement Programme. A lot of research was undertaken prior to acquisition as to the type of equipment available on the market and the best value for money options before opting for this particular item.

It should be noted that the car is not solely a speed detection car. It also carries cameras which have the ability to record details of registration plates, which can be downloaded at the end of a tour, and used for investigative and intelligence purposes.

Question 3

What specific group, if any, was set up to progress implementation of the 2001 Report of the Prisons Inspectorate and, if so, are its minutes accessible to members?

Answer

No group was set up to progress implementation of the 2001 report by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons on La Moye Prison. Details about progress and impediments to future progress were reported by the Prison Governor during his attendance at normal monthly Committee meetings. Many items under discussion at these former Committee meetings impinged on matters raised in the Inspection report and so the former Committee continued to be kept abreast of the problems facing the prison. I was not surprised at the content of this latest report because it had become increasingly clear that overcrowding, staff shortages and the hopelessly inadequate resources available to the prison were making it extremely difficult to implement and sustain the 2001 recommendations.

In the face of such adversity, the broad strategy was to prioritise the achievement of adequate levels of staffing and the prison building programme, these being essential to the underpinning of very many of the recommendations.

The progress that was made was notified formally in the following ways:

T h e Governor at the time of the publication of the report, Mr. Mike Kirby, submitted an initial response to the

report to the former Committee in February 2002, after he had been in post a matter of a few months. This response identified actions that he and his senior team intended to take forward to address the 147 recommendations that were made. It was clear that many of these required additional resources, both capital and revenue.

T h e former Committee noted the progress made and agreed to discuss the capital proposals with the former

Finance and Economics Committee. Approval was subsequently received to commence the redevelopment of the prison by building a new accommodation unit for 40 prisoners.

In May 2002, the Governor submitted an update on progress to the former Committee. It was clear from this report that much work was taking place to try to address the recommendations across a wide front, although at that stage most of the work was work in progress' rather than completed actions.

Immediately after Mr. Kirby's departure in July 2004, a written question was submitted by the then Deputy Bridge concerning progress on the recommendations and she was informed that Mr. Kirby had stated that 122 of the recommendations had been completed by that stage.

S o on after the appointment of the new governor, Mr Guy-Gibbens, the position was reviewed again.

I n a written response to a question from the then Deputy Bridge in March 2005 it was stated that 70 of the

original recommendations had been completed with work on-going on a further 11. The remaining recommendations would either be completed following the next phase of the building programme or required additional resources to complete.

T h is apparent disparity between the two views of the Governors involved is explained by Mr. Kirby reporting

work that was in progress and that it was hoped would come to fruition, whereas Mr. Guy-Gibbens has reported the actual state of play when he examined the report. Unfortunately, daily pressures at the Prison, including the steady rise in prisoner numbers, meant that many of the plans that Mr Kirby identified as necessary were unable to become established at the Prison.

It is against this background that I have welcomed the recommendation in this latest inspection report of a plan which will have clear milestones and will identify any additional resources that will be needed. The Prison Governor will report progress to me on a regular basis in a far clearer manner than occurred previously. This will be done through the Chief Officer, Home Affairs, who has an important rôle in performance monitoring under the ministerial system. The Home Affairs Department did not have a Chief Officer until October 2004.

I will also ensure that the targets set are realistic and achievable with the resources allocated. The governor is clear that he is responsible for achieving these agreed targets and will be held to account should he fail. There is clearly a great deal of work remaining to be done. Work has started to address the shortcomings. Since the Inspection Report, work has begun on all the recommendations except for the 49 which cannot be achieved due specifically to a lack of resources. I recognise that there can be no quick fix' if we are to achieve improvements which are sustainable.