§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will place a copy of the report into the death of Anthony Robert Madden in Armley prison on 26 June 1993 in the Library;
(2) if he will provide family access to the medical records regarding the late Anthony Robert Madden.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
262WLetter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Bob Cryer, dated 9 February 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about Anthony Robert Madden, who killed himself in Leeds prison on 26 June 1993.As in all cases of death in Prison Service custody, an investigationi was carried out into the very sad death of Mr. Madden. A report was submitted by the Governor of Leeds prison to Prison Service Headquarters. It is not, however, our practice to publish reports of internal investigations, the disclosure of which might undermine their effectiveness.A full and open inquest into Mr. Madden's death was conducted by the West Yorkshire Coroner on 29 and 30 November 1993. After hearing all the relevant evidence relating to Mr. Madden's death, the jury recorded the verdict that he killed himself. Transcripts of Coroner's notes of evidence are not routinely made, but can be requested from the office of the Coroner concerned on payment of a fee.If you or Mr. Madden's family have any specific questions about the death of their son which they feel were not answered at the inquest, please let me know.Under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 Mr. Madden's next of kin are entitled to request the disclosure of a copy of his prison medical record. If they would like to make such a request to me in writing, I will arrange for a copy of the record to be sent to them.