Clause 17

Part of Offender Management Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 10:45 am ar 23 Ionawr 2007.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Gerry Sutcliffe Gerry Sutcliffe The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department 10:45, 23 Ionawr 2007

Prison security is always kept under review, particularly in respect of the more serious, category A prisoners. The distinction I wish to make is that list A articles are illegal outside prison as well as inside, whereas mobile telephones are on list B to reflect the seriousness of the problem that they cause inside prison. That does not negate what the hon. Member for Hornchurch says: certainly we have to keep reviewing security. As the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling, who is sitting to my right, said, our aim is always to have a balance between the issues we face, and mobile telephones are not equivalent to, say, explosives. I thank my hon. Friend for that point. With that clarification, I hope that the Committee will accept the clause.