§ Ms CorstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what purpose strip searches are carried out in prison institutions in Northern Ireland.
§ Sir John WheelerAs elsewhere in the United Kingdom, strip searches of male prisoners in Northern Ireland are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the policy operated in Northern Ireland is broadly in line with that in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Owing to the small number of female prisoners, the statistics are readily available. During the period 1 January 1989 to 9 January 1994, 1,992 full searches were carried out on female prisoners. This figure is due to the diverse status of the prisoners held at Her Majesty's prison, Maghabery and their associated movements to and from the prison.
Full strip searches of female prisoners are generally restricted to prisoners re-entering the prison and are not routinely carried out as part of cell searches.