HC Deb 14 July 1980 vol 988 cc354-5W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at Her Majesty's prison, Grendon Underwood, have received treatment with hormone drugs for sexual problems in the years 1970 to 1979 inclusive, listing the numbers for each year separately.

Mr. Brittan

One in 1970.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at Her Majesty's prison, Grendon Underwood, have undergone surgery either to complement or reverse physical manifestations of treatment with hormones for sexual problems in the years 1970 to 1979 inclusive.

Mr. Brittan

Twenty-seven prisoners have undergone surgery at Her Majesty's prison Grendon Underwood for physical manifestations of female characteristics in the years 1970 to 1979. Of these 27 prisoners, five were already at Grendon, none of whom underwent surgery as a result of treatment with hormone drugs. The other 22 were transferred to Grendon specifically for surgery because of the facilities available there: for these prisoners information to distinguish between operations resulting from treatment with hormone drugs and for naturally occurring gynaecomastia is not readily available. With the exception of one operation in 1979 for naturally occurring gynaecomastia, no operations of this type have been carried out since the end of 1977.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons have received treatment for sexual problems in the years 1970 to 1979.

Mr. Brittan

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in Her Majesty's prisons have undergone sex-change operations in the year 1970 to 1979 inclusive.

Mr. Brittan

None.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will itemise the specific treatments and types of therapy given to prisoners at Her Majesty's prison, Grendon Underwood; and how many of the treatments and types of therapy given at Grendon Underwood are still in the experimental stage.

Mr. Brittan

Psychotherapy in the form of counselling in groups and individually is the principal psychiatric treatment provided at Grendon. As the treatment is intended to meet the needs of individual inmates and groups of inmates, it is not possible to itemise the many variations in this counselling approach. Although the likelihood of success in an individual case depends on a number of factors including the patient's motivation, none of the techniques employed can be regarded as experimental.

In addition, doctors practising at Grendon, like those at other prisons, are able to offer other conventional medical and psychiatric treatments to those inmates who need them.

Further information about the treatment provided at Grendon is given in paragraphs 82–84 of the Report of the Work of ale Prison Department for 1978—Cmnd. 7619.