§ Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now place in the Library the internal prison report into the death of Mr. Omasese Lumumba; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility 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 Derek Lewis to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 30 November 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the death of Mr. Omasese Lumumba.Subject to considerations of security and to the Coroner's consent, before an inquest, the Prison Service is generally prepared to disclose copies of documents provided to the Coroner to anyone who is a "properly interested person"under the Coroner's rules.Reports of follow-up internal investigations, including statements taken by the investigating governor, are not disclosed as the Prison Service needs to be able to conduct its own review of the case in confidence.A similar policy applies to the deaths of persons in the custody of the Prison Service detained under the Immigration Act.