Oliver Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1023-24W, on prisons: employment, whether he has plans to increase the number of prisoners per day working in the National Offender Management Service public sector prison industries who are engaged in land-based activities on farms in East Anglia.
Mr Blunt:
The National Offender Management Service operates one farm in East Anglia, at HM Prison North Sea Camp, although there are a number of other prisons in the area that provide land based activities for prisoners on a smaller scale.
As set out in the recent Green Paper, ""Breaking the Cycle Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders"" we are currently reviewing the opportunities for increasing the numbers of prisoners that experience the discipline of regular working hours across all sectors including land based activities. We are also looking to further develop the skills needed by prisoners to gain employment on release from prison. For the farm at HM Prison North Sea camp this includes the possibility of working with a private sector partner to achieve this.
Oliver Heald:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what milestones he has set for his plans to enable more prisoners to work; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Blunt:
We will publish further details of our implementation strategy in relation to the Green Paper, ""Breaking the Cycle Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing of Offenders"" this autumn.