I am informed, Madam Speaker, by the Acting Commissioner of Prisons that detainees are admitted to prisons either on remand or as convict following an order from the Court. With regard to part (a) of the question, the Prison Service is meant to ensure that hygienic conditions are maintained in all institutions. The measures taken include the provision of personal toiletries, clothing and bedding as well as adequate toilet and bathroom facilities. A laundry system for washing clothing and bedding is also put at their disposal. Cleaning of cells and dormitories are performed by detainees under the supervision of Prison Officers. Furthermore, the Prison Service undertakes routine maintenance and upgrading works. Regular pest control interventions are also conducted by trained Prison Officers. Additionally,

22 fogging exercises are carried out by the personnel of the Ministry of Health and Wellness upon request. Inspections by the National Preventive Mechanism Division of the National Human Rights Commission help to ensure the compliance with living standards. Moreover, workplace hygiene is regulated in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Prison Service actively monitors cleanliness through designated Prison Officers in each prison and also by visits by the Safety and Health Officer twice a week. In regard to part (b) of the question, the Prison Service operates three fully functional in-patient wards that are opened round the clock. They are located at the Melrose Prison, the Central Prison, and the Women’s Prison at Beau Bassin. Other Institutions, namely Grand River North West Remand Prison, Petit Verger Prison, Richelieu Open Prison, and Phoenix Prison, have each a dispensary where medical treatment and primary care are dispensed during office hours from Monday to Saturday. During weekends, public holidays, and at night, Prison Health Service Officers from the Central Prison, Beau Bassin, attend these institutions in case of emergency. Detainees requiring medical care are attended to at the three in-patient wards and four dispensaries. Detainees requiring further investigations or specialised care and treatment, are then referred and admitted to Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital where two wards have been converted for male and female detainees. These two wards offer a 24-hour in-patient service and are manned by nursing and medical staff of the hospital. An ambulance equipped with Basic Life Support devices is on stand-by mode at Beau Bassin Prison for the transportation of persons who are not well from prisons to public hospitals. In addition, the services of the SAMU are solicited to attend to life-threatening emergencies for conveyance of the detainees to the nearest public hospital. As regards part (c) of the question, Madam Speaker, I am informed by the Acting Commissioner of Prisons that the Prison Institutions are not overcrowded as they are currently occupied at 75.32% of their optimum capacity.

23 ᠎TELEVISION PROGRAMMES – MBC ACT & IBA ACT – AMENDMENTS