§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of evidence supporting the statement by the Director General of the Prison Service, broadcast on "Newsnight" on 25 March, that persons of Afro-Caribbean origins are more likely to suffer from positional asphyxia than persons of other ethnic origins; and, if so, whether they will publish this evidence. [HL1265]
§ Lord Williams of MostynAn internal Prison Service report dated February 1996 identified a range of medical factors that would be likely to place an individual at greater risk of sudden death when being192WA physically restrained and therefore liable to suffer from positional asphyxia. These include sickle cell disorders, which more frequently occur in persons originating from regions of Africa or the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and India. This is a difficult area, with differing expert views. The Prison Service will be commissioning further research into these important issues.
I am placing a copy of the report in the Library. Since this report had not originally been intended for publication, sections which identify personal information about specific individuals have been removed.