HC Deb 21 January 1980 vol 977 cc11-2W
Mr. Abse

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many babies were admitted to Holloway or born to women serving sentences there in 1978; and how many were refused admission;

(2) how many babies of women on remand in Holloway were admitted during 1978; and how many were refused admission;

(3) how many babies were born to women on remand in Holloway during 1978; and how many of them were allowed to remain;

(4) how many babies in Holloway were separated from their mothers during 1978 on reaching the age limit beyond which they are not allowed to remain;

(5) how many babies were admitted to prison in England and Wales in 1978; and how many were refused admission.

(6) how many babies were discharged from prisons in England and Wales in

Tribunal recommendation Broadmoor Rampton Moss Side Park Lane Local Hospitals
Discharge*:
1976 … … … … 2 13 3 0 11
1977 … … … … 3 7 0 0 9
1978 … … … … 1 11 3 0 18
Transfer to another hospital:
1976 … … … … 8 65 10 1 2
1977 … … … … 7 57 9 2 0
1978 … … … … 13 46 19 0 0
Removal of restriction order:
1976 … … … … 0 0 1 0 8
1977 … … … … 0 0 0 0 9
1978 … … … … 0 0 0 0 4
No discharge, transfer or removal of restriction order:
1976 … … … … 65 70 44 4 23
1977 … … … … 68 88 46 4 24
1978 … … … … 57 67 33 8 26
* Although precise figures are not readily available, nearly all the "discharge" recommendations or discharge subject to conditions.

1978 on reaching the age limit beyond which they are not allowed to remain while their mothers remained inside.

Mr. Brittan

In 1978 11 babies were admitted to prisons in England and Wales so as to stay with their mothers, six to women serving sentences in Holloway and one to a woman on remand there. In addition, 83 babies were born to women in custody, 10 to women serving sentences in Holloway and five to women on remand there; all of the latter five were allowed to remain with their mothers. One baby left a prison other than Holloway on reaching the age at which it was no longer possible to provide suitable accommodation in that prison, and one from Holloway was taken into care. No records are kept of the number of cases in which it was not possible to accede to requests that babies should stay with their mothers in prison.