§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his current ruling on the force feeding of prisoners;
(2) what are the prescribed methods for the force feeding of prisoners where this is considered appropriate.
§ Dr. SummerskillI refer my right hon. Friend to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made on 17th July 1974.—[Vol. 877. c. 451–5.] If a prisoner were to be fed artificially the method used would be a matter for the clinical judgment of the responsible prison medical officer.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been force fed during the past 10 years in United Kingdom prisons.
§ Dr. SummerskillI regret that this information is not available.