§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the guidelines for the treatment of transsexuals in prison; what plans he has to review these; and what is the time scale for the review. [12842]
§ 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 Richard Tilt to Dr. Lynne Jones, dated 5 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about what guidelines there are for the treatment of transsexuals in prison, what plans there are to review them and what is the timescale for any review.
No formal guidelines have been issued to Prison Service establishments on the care, management and treatment of transsexuals in prison. Clinicians have, however, always been able to call on advice from the Prison Service's directorate of health care to assist them in dealing with individual cases.
The general principles underlying such advice were set out in letters to you of 29 June 1994 and 22 May 1995, from the former Director General, copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
The directorate of health care does intend to draw up some formal guidelines to assist clinicians in the field, who may have to deal with transsexuals. It does however, have many competing priorities for its resources and I cannot say when the work will be completed.