§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales received some form of mental health care in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 26 May 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about how many prisoners in England and Wales received some form of mental health care in each of the last five years.This information is not available in the form requested. However, Prison Service medical officers carry out medical monitoring at regular intervals within their establishments. The most up to date information held centrally is for February 1994 and is set out in the table below with comparative figures for the two previous years.
February 1994 February 1993 February 1992 Mentally disordered prisoners awaiting transfer to hospital 136 123 92 Mentally disordered prisoners being treated in prison health care centres 802 415 671 Other prisoners requiring mental health care 1,766 2,343 1,515