§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Department how many mentally ill prisoners have been transferred from prison to psychiatric hospitals in each year since 1970 ; and what percentage of these in each case (a) absconded from hospital, or (b) committed a further offence.
§ Mr. BrittanThe numbers of persons transferred from prison department establishments in England and Wales to hospital under section 72 or section 73 of the Mental Health Act 1959 are published annually in Criminal Statistics—England and Wales—table 18 of the issue for 1978, Cmnd. 7670. These figures do not distinguish between those suffering from mental illness and those suffering from other forms of mental disorder. The percentage of those who either (a) absconded from hospital or (b) committed further offences could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of mentally ill prisoners who had been transferred to psychiatric hospitals in each year since 1970 left hospital at the expiration of their sentences; and for how long afterwards the others remained in hospital.
§ Mr. BrittanWhen a sentenced prisoner has been transferred to a hospital under section 72 of the Mental Health Act 1969, the date of his subsequent discharge is not directly related to the length of his sentence of imprisonment. Information of those who were discharged either on the date when, with remission, they would have left prison or on the date when their prison sentence would have expired could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Information relating to those who remained in hospital after the latter date is not available.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those admitted to psychiatric hospitals were transferred from prison for each year since 1960.
§ Mr. BrittanThe following table expresses the number of persons transferred from prison department establishments in England and Wales under sections 72–74 or sections 73–74 of the Mental Health Act 1959 as a percentage of all those persons admitted to hospital under part V of the Mental Health Act 1959 subject to restrictions on discharge. As the Act only came into force on 1 November 1960, no figure is given for that year.
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Year Percentage 1961 … … … … 45 1962 … … … … 41 1963 … … … … 43 1964 … … … … 42 1965 … … … … 40 1966 … … … … 40 1967 … … … … 28 1968 … … … … 28 1969 … … … … 27 1970 … … … … 24 1971 … … … … 26 1972 … … … … 25 1973 … … … … 19 1974 … … … … 17 1975 … … … … 20 1976 … … … … 19 1977 … … … … 33 1978 … … … … 23
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those transferred from prisons to psychiatric hospitals in each year since 1970 have had to wait (a) two weeks, (b) four weeks, (c) six weeks or (d) longer, after the order for their transfer was made until actually being transferred.
§ Mr. BrittanI assume that the hon. Member is interested in the interval between the date when recommendations from two doctors for the transfer of a prisoner to hospital under section 72 of the Mental Health Act 1959 are received in the Home Office and the date when it becomes possible to direct that such transfer to a specified hospital should take place. This information is not readily available in the form requested; but we shall write to the hon. Member as soon as we can with information about transfer directions given in 1979.