Press Release - Serving Time: Prisoner Diet and Exercise
9 March 2006
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported
today that significant improvements have been made in HM Prison
Service’s catering arrangements resulting in financial savings and
improved quality of service. Since 2003-04, savings of some £2.5
million have been made each year from expenditure on food and some
£1.7 million a year on catering staff – mainly through
civilianisation of catering staff posts. Other savings have arisen
from more efficient procurement and reduced stockholdings of food.
In addition most prisoners are offered full and varied programmes
of physical education activities.
Expenditure on food is determined by each prison governor who
sets a daily food allowance per prisoner. The average is £1.87 for
three meals a day but there are wide variations ranging from £1.20
at an open prison to £3.41 at a young offenders’ institution. Young
offenders have some of the highest daily food allowances because
juveniles eat more than adults.
Although today’s report found that the Prison Service had made
improvements, it also finds scope for further savings. There is for
example, potential for financial savings if prisons with
particularly high daily food allowances ("outliers") were to reduce
them.
Prisons are not meeting all of their own catering standards. In
2004-05 prisons were fully compliant with some two thirds of
standards, partially compliant with 32 per cent and non-compliant
with two per cent. Prisons are least compliant with the standard
which requires them to be clean and in good repair. On the whole,
kitchens are clean and hygienic but many facilities have come to
the end of their working capability and the state of the fabric in
kitchens is poor.
On the whole, food offered to prisoners is in line with the
government’s recommendations on healthy eating. Prisoners are
offered a variety of foods and different dietary requirements are
catered for. There is a variety of choices such that prisoners who
wished to eat vegetarian one day, halal the next and a standard
diet the next could do so. At least one meal option labelled as
healthy is offered at lunch and in the evening.
The NAO found that meals contain recommended quantities of most
vitamins and minerals but with some notable exceptions which could
affect prisoners’ health. Average levels of salt, for example, are
up to 93 per cent more than recommended levels and offerings of
dietary fibre, which could be provided by fresh fruit and
vegetables are low. Prisoners’ meals rely heavily on convenience
foods, such as pies, burgers, tinned food and frozen vegetables,
with little use made of seasonal produce.
All prisoners have the opportunity to spend time in the open air
at least once a day but participation in organised physical
education at some prisons is low. Although on average some 43 per
cent of prisoners participate in some form of organised physical
education activities, there are wide variations ranging from 11 per
cent at Bristol Prison to 87 per cent at Huntercombe Prison. Take
up rates are affected by the range of facilities available. Older
prisons tend to have fewer facilities and the capacity of older
sports halls and gymnasiums can be restrictive. On the whole newer
prisons have much better facilities. Most, but not all, prisons
have outdoor sports pitches.
Prison governors prefer to employ officers as fully trained
physical education instructors because of their leadership skills
and the assistance they provide in controlling aggressive
behaviour. However, cost effectiveness should be a consideration as
to whether officers should be employed as instructors. There is
scope for making financial savings by employing civilians in
prisons where the risks to security are less, such as open
prisons.
Sir John Bourn said today:
"Prison catering has improved since we last examined it
in 1997 and the Prison Service is more responsive to prisoner
needs. The challenge now is for the Service to provide prisoners
with food and opportunities to exercise which meet the government’s
recommendations on healthy eating and exercise, whilst keeping
costs firmly under control."
Notes for Editors
- The NAO last examined prison catering in 1997 [HM Prison
Service: Prison Catering HC 277 Session 1997-98] when we
reported on the quality of catering, the diversity and timing of
meals and the cost of catering, especially the arrangements for
providing prisoners’ meals economically and efficiently.
- In 2004-05 the Prison Service spent £94 million on catering,
the largest components of which were food (£43 million) and
catering staff (£32 million). The Prison Service spent around £60
million on physical education of which £29 million was on
staff.
- Press notices and reports are available from the date of
publication on the National Audit Office website at www.nao.org.uk.
Hard copies can be obtained from The Stationery Office at
www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp or on 0870 2422345.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is the
head of the National Audit Office which employs some 800 staff. He
and the National Audit Office are totally independent of
Government. He certifies the accounts of all Government departments
and a wide range of other public sector bodies; and he has
statutory authority to report to Parliament on the economy,
efficiency and effectiveness with which departments and other
bodies have used their resources.
Press Notice 18/06
All enquiries to Mark Anderson, NAO Press Office:
Tel: 020 7798 7558
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