HC Deb 14 July 1998 vol 316 cc97-8W
Mr. Cox

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women sentenced to imprisonment in England and Wales in each of the last three years had children under the age of five years at the time of their sentence. [49525]

Ms Quin

This information is not collected centrally. However, a study of women in prison was carried out in November 1994 by the Office for National Statistics. It found that, of the 1,766 women interviewed, 265 (or 15 per cent.) had, at the time of imprisonment, at least one child under the age of five.

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which women's prison has the largest use per inmate of(a) chlorpromazine (Largactil), (b) Melleril and (c) other anti-psychotic drugs; how many were prescribed there; and what was the prison population there, in each of the last five years; [50178]

(2) how many prescriptions for (a) chlorpromazine (Largactil), (b) Melleril and (c) other anti-psychotic drugs were issued in each of the past five years in each women's prison; [50180]

(3) what changes have taken place in the prescription of (a) minor tranquillisers, (b) major tranquillisers and (c) neuroleptic drugs in women's prisons since the publication of the 1996 report of the Advisory Council on Drugs Misuse. [50179]

Ms Quin

Details about prescriptions issued are not available in a form that could be used to provide the information sought and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Prison Service recognises that many women received into custody have complex medical histories and have very often already been prescribed the types of medications cited. A Prison Service health care standard on the use of medicines makes clear that medication will be prescribed only for clinical reasons and in line with the recommendation in the 1996 report from the Advisory Council on Drugs Misuse. Efforts are being made to reduce the prescribing of major and minor tranquillisers and neuroleptic drugs, except where their use is clinically essential. Increasing collaboration with NHS specialist psychiatric services is bringing prescribing in prisons under the influence of NHS consultant psychiatrists and concern about prescribing levels in prisons will continue to be addressed through improved monitoring of health care standards.