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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 30th NOVEMBER 2010
Question
The response to my written question of 16th November 2010 regarding computers at the prison is silent as to where the funding for internet facilities came from, would the Minister supply details and also advise how many mobile phones or sim cards have been confiscated from prisoners over the last 3 years?"
Answer
The only people who have direct access to the internet at the prison are the education staff. This costs £18.53 per month and this is met from the Prison's budget allocation.
In September 2007, the Prison Governor at the time and the Head of Learning and Skills made contact with the UK company that has developed the Prison Network, following research into the use of information technology to support learning through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The VLE is a software system which is designed to support teaching and learning. It provides a collection of tools for assessment, communication, up loading of content, return of learners' work, administration of learner group, tracking tools and accessing multi-media functions.
The cost of purchasing and installing the screen and built in computer, together with keypad, a mouse and a biometric reader, in every normal cell to enable prisoners to access the Prison Network was approximately £125,000. This money has been charged to the following cost centre: DL6001. 562010, which relates to equipment purchase.
There was insufficient money in this particular cost centre to fund the project, so, as I stated in my answer of the 16th November 2010, this was financed from underspends which were created from a reduction in the number of staff who were recruited and also a reduction in overtime payments. Those savings being transferred to the relevant cost centre.
The following table sets out the number of mobile phones and sim cards confiscated from prisoners over the last 3 years:
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
Mobile Phones | 20 | 63 | 27 |
Sim Cards | 6 | 13 | 10 |