HC Deb 03 April 2001 vol 366 cc143-5W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary or State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women prisoners have died in prison in England and Wales during the last 12 months. [156188]

Mr. Boateng

128 males and nine females have died in prison custody in England and Wales during the last 12 months (up to and including 31 March 2001).

Male Female Total
Self-inflicted 69 7 76
Natural causes 57 2 59
Homicide 2 0 2

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many women were sent to prison by courts in England and Wales during the last 12 months; [156189]

  1. (2) how many women were sentenced to imprisonment by courts in England and Wales during the last 12 months for shoplifting; [156193]
  2. (3) how many women have been sentenced to imprisonment by courts in England and Wales during the last 12 months for trading in illegal drugs. [156191]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The available information, taken from the Home Office's Court Proceedings Database, relates to 1999 and is contained in the table. (Information for 2000 is not yet available.)

Females sentenced to immediate custody1 in England and Wales, 1999
Number
All offences 7,504
of which:
Dealing in illegal drugs 609
Shoplifting 2,065
1Unsuspended imprisonment, detention in a young offender institution, secure training orders and detention under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.

Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the mother and baby units in women's prisons in England and Wales, indicating the number of places in each prison. [156194]

Mr. Boateng

At present there are four Mother and Baby Units (MBU) in England and Wales; namely Holloway, Styal, New Hall and Askham Grange. Holloway and New Hall take babies up to the age of nine months. Styal and Askham Grange take babies up to 18 months but babies will leave the units at an earlier age if it is in the child's best interest.

The table gives a brief description of the prisons, age limits of babies and the number of places available:

Status Security category Places Age limit (months)
Askham Grange, near York 1 Open 20 18
Holloway, London 2 Closed 13 9
New Hall, near Wakefield 2 Closed 9 9
Styal, Cheshire 2 Open 22 18
1Sentenced
1Remanded and sentenced

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners use wheelchairs. [156249]

Mr. Boateng

This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all prisons can accommodate prisoners in wheelchairs. [156251]

Mr. Boateng

No. All new prisons are built to specifications which allow wheelchair access. Many existing prisons are able to accommodate prisoners in wheelchairs, or are capable of being so adapted. The Prison Service is ensuring that there is a sufficient geographical spread of prisons which conform fully to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, including wheelchair access. But there are a small number of prisons which can never be adapted for wheelchair access.