§ Mr. CoxTo 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. Boateng128 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).
144W
Male Female Total Self-inflicted 69 7 76 Natural causes 57 2 59 Homicide 2 0 2
§ Mr. CoxTo 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]
- (2) how many women were sentenced to imprisonment by courts in England and Wales during the last 12 months for shoplifting; [156193]
- (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 ClarkeThe 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. CoxTo 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. BoatengAt 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 PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners use wheelchairs. [156249]
§ Mr. BoatengThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if all prisons can accommodate prisoners in wheelchairs. [156251]
§ Mr. BoatengNo. 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 145W 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.