§ 14. Mr. Abseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the main recommendations of the Working Party on the Prison Medical Service; and when the Report will be published.
§ Mr. BrookeI would ask the hon. Member to await the publication of the Report, which I hope will be before the end of this month.
§ Mr. AbseMay I ask the Home Secretary whether the report will include 576 recommendations concerning the lack of psychiatrists within the prison medical Service and particularly whether it will include recommendations to prevent Occurrences such as in the case of simcox, where the prison medical service On three separate occasions examined the man and on not one of the occasions Was he examined by a doctor holding a diploma in psychological medicine? Is he aware of the deep concern at the isolation of the prison medical service from the National Health Service, and will he give an assurance that recommendations which are made will be carried out?
§ Mr. BrookeI cannot accept what the hon. Gentleman says about the Simcox case or the more general matters. I think that it would be wise for the hon. Member, and the House as a whole, to await the publication of this Report, on which occasion I hope to make a statement to the House.