Current status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 September 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06805 by Keith Brown on 3 March 2022, how many hours of purposeful activity prisoners had, on average, per week in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023, broken down by prison.
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
The table below details the average number of purposeful activity hours per week for convicted prisoners across the prison estate, in each financial year that incorporates 2021, 2022 and 2023:
Year | April 2020 – March 2021 | April 2021– March 2022 | April 2022 – March 2023 | April 2023 – August 2023 |
Establishment | Average PA hours | Average PA hours | Average PA hours | Average PA hours |
Barlinnie | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Bella | N/A | N/A | 18 | 24 |
Cornton Vale/Stirling | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Dumfries | 8 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
Edinburgh | 9 | 10 | 13 | 14 |
Glenochil | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
Grampian | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
Greenock | 19 | 20 | 26 | 23 |
Inverness | 24 | 21 | 27 | 33 |
Lilias | N/A | N/A | 20 | 27 |
Low Moss | 16 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Castle Huntly | 20 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
Perth | 9 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
Polmont | 14 | 24 | 29 | 29 |
Shotts | 9 | 14 | 13 | 19 |
HMP Addiewell and HMP Kilmarnock are privately operated prisons and are not required to provide PA hours on a monthly basis. The delivery of PA hours within these two establishments is monitored through contractual arrangements with SPS Controllers and Contract Managers to ensure compliance.