Billy Wright Inquiry

Given what we discovered about the destruction of prisoners' files, many of which would have been important historical records, we recommend that the SOSNI should satisfy himself whether any other prison records have been destroyed and whether proper retention processes are now observed in the NIPS.

The Inquiry asked ministers to review prison records destruction and retention processes. In November 2010, Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that he was content the recommendation had been "satisfactorily complied with", citing assurances regarding file retention and disposal while not mentioning whether other records had been destroyed (Owen Paterson, Nov 2010). Also in November 2010, the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) stated that its Director General had confirmed safeguards for retention and disposal procedures were in place (Northern Ireland Prison Service, Nov 2010).

Many of the problems of HMP Maze in 1997 arose from the fact that by then it was the sole prison in Northern Ireland holding the most dangerous terrorist prisoners. We are aware that HMP Maghaberry is currently the sole maximum security prison in Northern Ireland. We recommend that the SOSNI and those with recently devolved authority should satisfy themselves that any relevant lessons from HMP Maze have been learned for HMP Maghaberry.

The Inquiry recommended that ministers ensure lessons from HMP Maze were learned for HMP Maghaberry. In November 2010, Robin Masefield, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS), stated that an audit across the prison estate had identified areas requiring corrective action and that work was in hand on an action plan (Northern Ireland Prison Service, Nov 2010). Owen Paterson, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, also stated in November 2010 that planned remedial activities included physical infrastructure changes alongside updated policies and guidance (Owen Paterson, Nov 2010). Earlier, in September 2010, David Ford, Minister of Justice, had stated that a project team was appointed to analyse operating practices against identified weaknesses (David Ford, Sep 2010).

We have identified a series of failures in the management of the NIPS in 1997. What we learned about the current management of the NIPS in the course of the Inquiry, for example during the document recovery hearings, left us wondering how much has changed in the succeeding years. Bearing in mind that the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland led to the transformation of the RUC into the PSNI, we recommend that the SOSNI and those with recently devolved authority should consider whether a similar process might pave the way for radical change in the way that the NIPS is managed and, among other matters, how its industrial relations are conducted.

The Inquiry recommended considering a Patten-style reform process for prison management and industrial relations. In November 2010, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen Paterson relayed that Justice Minister David Ford advised that an independent review of prison conditions, management, and oversight "fulfils the panel's third recommendation" (Owen Paterson, Nov 2010). He also reported that senior management of the Northern Ireland Prison Service was pursuing an efficiency programme in consultation with staff associations (Owen Paterson, Nov 2010). In the same month, the service stated that an independent review team led by Dame Anne Owers would consider the recommendation and report the following spring (Northern Ireland Prison Service, Nov 2010).