§ Mr. LitherlandTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have died in prison from natural causes in the past five years.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Robert Litherland, dated 13 February 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how many people have died in prison from natural causes in the past five years.A total of 147 people have died from natural causes whilst in custody during the last five years.
- 1990: 37
- 1991: 20
- 1992: 32
- 1993: 31
- 1994: 27
§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether decisions relating to the searching of category A prisoners and their visitors are policy or operational matters.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe power to search prisoners and their visitors is set out in the prison rules, which are made by the Secretary of State. Decisions relating to the rules themselves and changes to them are policy matters.
The actions which are taken to implement the rules, including the procedures for searching category A prisoners and their visitors, are operational matters, as are the day-to-day decisions to search individual prisoners or visitors.
§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what cuts to its budget have been proposed by the Prison Service; and what new equipment and materials have been cancelled.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe Prison Service has not proposed any cuts to its budget and no new equipment and materials have been cancelled.