Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

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Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers Transporting Defendants to Court Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW12956/11-15, whether the four prisoners were produced to the court in error on the day in question, given that no applications or amendments had been sought, and that no bail issues or arrangements needed to be considered; and who made the requests to the Northern Ireland Prison Service for the production of the prisoners. (AQW 13549/11-15) Mr Ford: None of the prisoners were produced to the Court in error. As I stated in my answer to AQW/12956/11-15, the decision to have a defendant produced in court is a judicial decision. Judicial decisions on prisoner production are communicated to the Northern Ireland Prison Service by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service. Commitment on Full Body Scanners Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Justice whether he can give an undertaking that, should separated prisoners be relocated to Mourne House, the commitment given on full body scanners will be upheld in the facility. (AQW 13561/11-15) Mr Ford: As I have stated in the House on a number of occasions, new search technologies are to be piloted to assess their suitability for use in relation to all prisoners in all establishments, in keeping with the Prison Review Team’s recommendation and are not related to specific groups of prisoners. Pilot for Full-Body Scanners in Prisons Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Justice for an update on the pilot for full body scanners in Magilligan and Hydebank Wood. (AQW 13562/11-15) Mr Ford: Formal written quotations have now been received from two suppliers for the leasing of Millimetre Wave Body Scanners for three month pilot schemes at Magilligan Prison and Hydebank Wood YOC. Purchase orders will be placed as soon as the business case has been approved but one of the suppliers has advised that there will be an eight week delivery time from the date the purchase order is received. A number of final queries have yet to be resolved with the other supplier, including operator training costs and equipment insurance requirements. It is planned that these outstanding matters will be resolved during a visit to the supplier on 24 July. Prison Service officials are continuing to work through a number of practical arrangements including site surveys in conjunction with the suppliers, staff training requirements, legal advice and information to prisoners. Consideration is also being given to the timing of the commencement of the respective pilots given the delivery timescale from one of the suppliers. Full-Body Imaging Scanners in Prisons Mr P Ramsey asked the Minister of Justice to outline the timescale for (i) the procurement of full body imaging equipment; (ii) the installation of the equipment; (iii) staff training on the use of the equipment; (vi) any other work to make the imaging scanners operational in the planned pilot scheme. (AQW 13563/11-15) Mr Ford: My answer to AQW/13562 provides an update on the pilot schemes for Millimetre Wave Body Scanners at Magilligan Prison and Hydebank Wood YOC. There are also plans to pilot the use of Transmission X-ray Scanners at Magilligan Prison as soon as the necessary approval has been obtained under the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004. WA 598
Friday 20 July 2012 Written Answers Northern Ireland Prison Service: Disciplinary Proceedings Lord Morrow asked Minister of Justice, pursuant to AQW 12780/11-15, and given that the statistics requested should be easily accessed in accordance with the recording requirements contained in Regulation 13.1 of the Northern Ireland Prison Service Code of Conduct and Discipline, and in accordance with Rule 118 (5) of the Prisons and Young Offenders Centre Rules (NI) 1995, as amended, (i) to explain why the information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost; (ii) whether the foregoing requirements have been complied with by the Northern Ireland Prison Service and; (iii) to detail the format in which these records have been retained or stored since 1995. (AQW 13575/11-15) Mr Ford: The information requested would require detailed examination of paper records and could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Northern Ireland Prison Service complies with the Department of Justice’s Records and Information Retention and Disposal Schedule. Records pertaining to disciplinary cases are retained in either hard copy or electronic format. Supervision and Treatment Orders Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice whether he has any plans to (i) legislate to extend Supervision and Treatment Orders beyond the current two year maximum; or (ii) allow the Judiciary to extend the duration of the Orders at its discretion. (AQW 13577/11-15) Mr Ford: The maximum period for supervision and treatment orders was increased from two to three years, with effect from 30 June 2011, by the Supervision and Treatment Orders (Maximum Period) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011 (S.R. 2011 No. 115). On 6 July, my Department issued a public consultation on extending proposed mental capacity legislation to the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland and implications for the courts’ existing mental health powers. The consultation invites comments on these existing powers, including supervision and treatment orders, whether these are sufficient and whether they might be amended. I look forward to the responses to the consultation and will examine these in detail before deciding whether to bring forward further proposals in this area. Adjournment Monitoring Exercise Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice why the adjournment monitoring exercise is only available at Londonderry Magistrates Court. (AQW 13578/11-15) Mr Ford: The adjournment monitoring exercise was piloted in Londonderry Magistrates’ Court to analyse the adjournment reasons in that Petty Sessions District. Any decision surrounding the operation of this pilot is a matter for the Presiding District Judge (Magistrates’ Court). Prison Unit at Crumlin Road Lord Morrow asked the Minister of Justice for how long a prison unit has operated at Crumlin Road, Belfast since the prison’s closure, irrespective of the title; and to list the titles by which it was known in the corresponding years. (AQW 13579/11-15) Mr Ford: The Prisoner Assessment Unit at the former Belfast Prison site has been in operation since the closure of the Prison in 1996. It was originally known as the Working-out Unit which operated from a designated landing within Belfast Prison. WA 599
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Written Answers to Questions - Northern Ireland Assembly

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