Written question asked by Rudi Vis (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 June 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 July 1999. It was answered by George Howarth (Labour) on Monday, 12 July 1999 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions in the past year a woman prisoner has been told that she had to stop breastfeeding in order to attend educational or other courses inside a prison.

Answer: Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the past year a woman prisoner has been told that she had to stop breastfeeding in order to attend educational or other courses inside a prison. [89344] Mr. George Howarth: There are no occasions in the past year when a woman prisoner has been told to stop breastfeeding in order to attend educational or other courses inside a prison. The Prison Service supports the good practice of women breastfeeding their babies. A woman prisoner can express milk and leave the milk with nursery nurses to feed her baby or she can leave the class to breastfeed her baby and rejoin when she has finished. The choice is left to the breastfeeding mother. The four mother and baby units in the female prison estate actively encourage breastfeeding and pregnant women have access to information and professional advice to enable them to make an informed choice about how to feed their babies.

Secondary information