HC Deb 30 October 1986 vol 103 cc205-7W
Ms. Harman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state (a) how many women on Durham H wing have been diagnosed as suffering from amenorrhoea during the past 24 months and (b) how many women on Durham H wing have undergone hysterectomies within the last 24 months.

Mr. Mellor

I am advised by the Director of Prison Medical Services that he would consider it a breach of medical confidentially to publish sensitive medical information relating to patients in a particular establishment or unit because of the risk of identification of individual patients. If the hon. Member is concerned about a particular case or cases and will write to me I will endeavour to assist her.

Ms. Harman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the ages of the women who have been detained in Durham H wing during the past 24 months.

Mr. Mellor

The ages on reception of the women who have been detained in Durham H wing during the past 24 months are as follows:

Age on reception Number
18 1
19 4
20 4
21 3
22 3
23 7
24 2
25 2
26 5
27 1
28 2
29 2
30 2
31 6
32 2
33 3
34 1
35 3
36 3
37 1
38 1
39 2
40 1
43 1
46 1
51 2
53 2
53 2
54 1
56 2
57 1
63 1

Ms. Harman

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been detained in Durham H wing during the past 24 months.

Mr. Mellor

Including the present population, 72.

Mr. Irving

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at Durham prison have relatives living within a 50-mile radius of the prison.

Mr. Mellor

This information is not held separately and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Mr. Irving

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many strip searches were carried out in Durham prison H wing within the last 12 months on (a) all prisoners and (b) category A prisoners; and what unlawful materials were found as a result of these searches.

Mr. Mellor

Strip searching is a routine security measure, and establishments are not required to record all such searches. However, Durham has, exceptionally, begun to keep records of strip searches in respect of category A female inmates. These, together with earlier records of cell changes and cell searches (which would normally involve a strip search), indicate that during the 12 months ending 30 September there were 53 strip searches of category A female prisoners in Durham.

I understand that records covering the same period show that a quantity of cannabis was found on one occasion during a strip search of a non-category A prisoner. But the justification for strip searching lies not only in the fact that staff do discover items (such as drugs, syringes, plastic knives sharpened into daggers, and scissors) which they would not otherwise find, but in the deterrent effect which such searching undoubtedly has.