§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pregnant women were imprisoned in the last year for which figures are available.
§ Dr. SummerskillI regret that information in this precise form is not available, but in 1974, 57 women and girls were temporarily removed to outside hospitals for confinement, returning to prison or borstal afterwards, and one baby was born prematurely in prison.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the weekly cost of keeping a woman and her baby in prison.
§ Dr. SummerskillI regret that it is not possible to isolate the cost of keeping mothers with babies in prison from the figures which I gave for women and girls generally in reply to a Question by the hon. Member for Burton (Mr. Lawrence) on 24th February 1975.—[Vol. 887. c.4–5.]
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the age and offence of those women who are imprisoned with their babies: at what age the baby is separated from its mother; what then happens to the baby; how many other children each of the women have; and who is looking after them.
§ Dr. SummerskillOf the 26 women and girls who have their babies with them in custody, eight are aged under 21, 13 are aged between 21 and 30, and five are aged over 30.
Their principal offences were theft, 12; burglary, three; illegal importation of drugs, three; soliciting, three; manslaughter, one; malicious wounding, one; perjury, one; and unlawful possession of drugs, one; and one woman is charged with murder.
There are no facilities for children over the age of 4, but most mothers complete their sentences before the child reaches that age. No children were sent out of prison without their mothers in 1974.
302WTen of these 26 mothers have no other children, two have one other child, 10 have two other children, two have three, one has five and one has eight. These other children are being cared for by their fathers, grandparents, friends of the mother, foster parents, or in children's homes.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have their babies with them in prison; and what were the total figures for the last year for which figures are available.
§ Dr. SummerskillOn 16th April, 26 women and girls in custody had their babies with them. I regret that annual totals are not available, but the average number over the whole of 1974 was 27.