Prison Staff (Suicides)

HC Deb 06 June 1995 vol 261 cc119-20W

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prison staff committed suicide in each of the last 15 years. [26091]

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Responsibility 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 Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 6 June 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about prison staff suicides in each of the last 15 years. Staff suicides in the last five years were as follows:

• 1990: 4
• 1991: 2
• 1992: 5
• 1993: 4
• 994: 11
• 1995: 2 (to date)

Records of the cause of staff deaths before 1990 are not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The increased number of staff suicides in 1994 is a matter of great concern to the Prison Service. The causes of each suicide have been carefully examined, but in no case does the cause appear to be related to work in the Prison Service.