HL Deb 26 July 1994 vol 557 cc85-6WA
Lord Brian

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, following the final inquest into the deaths of five prisoners in Exeter Prison since 1993, they will institute an inquiry under an independent chairman into the assessment, medical care and general supervision of potentially suicidal prisoners by the Prison Service Agency at this prison as compared with other prisons as suggested by the coroner and requested by the Board of Visitors as a matter of urgency.

Baroness Blatch

Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Prison Service and its Director General, Mr. Derek Lewis. The Director General has therefore arranged for a response to the Question and the letter is as follows.

Letter to Lord Brain from the Director of Personnel, HM Prison Service, Mr. A. J. Butler, dated 26 July 1994:

Baroness Blatch has asked me, in the absence of the Director-General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about deaths of prisoners at Exeter prison.

At the end of the inquest into the death of the fourth prisoner at Exeter, the Deputy Coroner commended the conduct of prison staff. He also commented that a person determined to kill himself will almost always succeed. However he suggested that the systems and procedures at Exeter should be reviewed in order to assess whether they were capable of improvement.

We are determined to do all we can to avoid such tragedies. The Governor has conducted a very thorough enquiry into each incident and is arranging for an appropriately qualified independent person to visit and advise on whether existing arrangements at Exeter can be improved. The outcome of this review will be considered in relation to the arrangements adopted nationally.