Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Elystan-Morgan (Crossbench). It was answered on Tuesday, 3 March 2009.

Prisons: Safety

Question: My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that on page 20 of the report the chief inspector makes the point that, although more than 50 per cent of all self-injury cases in prisons relate to women, women represent only 5 per cent of the total prison population? Will he give this matter his urgent attention, particularly in the context of assistance in relation to mental health and detoxification, and especially in relation to women under 21?

Answer: My Lords, as always, the noble Lord makes a good point. I take this opportunity to say that, if any noble Lords are interested, immediately after Questions in Committee Room 2 I shall be showing a DVD on working with women prisoners. I strongly invite all noble Lords who are interested in this to come and see it. I have watched it and it is very moving. It makes a point about the particular problems relating to women prisoners. Of course, we have the huge advantage of the report of my noble friend Lady Corston, which we are in the process of implementing.

Secondary information