§ Ms Janet AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to prison governors in respect of prisoners awaiting medical operations; how many prisoners are currently awaiting operations and what is the average waiting time for such operations. [131]
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§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Ms Janet Anderson, dated 22 November 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about guidance to prison governors in respect of prisoners awaiting medical operations, the number of prisoners awaiting medical operations and the average waiting time for such operations.No specific advice on prisoners awaiting operations has been issued to governors as the decision to refer a prisoner for a medical operation is a purely clinical one and therefore the responsibility of the medical officer. Information is not collected centrally on how many prisoners are awaiting operations or the average waiting time.