§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what independent medical assessment(a) is allowed and (b) has been made of the condition of the hunger strikers at Rochester prison or moved from Rochester prison; [18473]
(2) if he will make a statement on the medical condition of (a) Mr. Naser Lechibi and (b) the other hunger strikers at Rochester prison or moved from Rochester prison. [18472]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 4 March 1997]: No immigration detainees at Rochester are currently refusing food. Those who do so are taken to an outside hospital if their condition gives cause for concern. Detainees who persist in food refusal clearly take risks with their health: medical records are confidential, but none of those who took part in the recent protest is currently assessed as giving cause for medical concern.