§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners have been transferred to special hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1959 since 20th March 1980 whilst they were on hunger strikes, or at the end of their sentences respectively; how many prisoners have been forcibly fed since that date, and of those, how many were considered by the consultant to have their capacity for rational judgement impaired by illness.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Belstead)Of the prisoners transferred to special hospitals since 20th March 1980 none was recorded as refusing nourishment at the time of the transfer and 10 were transferred within three weeks of the date on which they were due to be released from prison. Since 20th March 1980 four prisoners have been artificially fed. In all four cases a psychiatrist from outside the prison medical service had confirmed the prison medical officer's opinion that the prisoner's capacity for rational judgement was impaired.