We are committed to open and transparent reporting of data relating to self-harm incidents and deaths in custody. It remains a priority to reduce the number of deaths and violence in prisons.

Statistics on the number of (a) self-inflicted deaths and (c) self-harm incidents for each prison establishment are published on an annual basis in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin, published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

Statistics on self-inflicted deaths by establishment can be found in Table 1.16 in the annual tables which accompany each publication, and the number of self-harm incidents in table 2.13.

Figures for the rate of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm incidents in prison custody are given in tables 1.1 and 2.1 of the same bulletin. An attempted suicide will be recorded as a self- harm incident.

We are committed to open and transparent reporting of data relating to self-harm incidents and deaths in custody. It remains a priority to reduce the number of deaths and violence in prisons.

Statistics on the number of (a) self-inflicted deaths and (c) self-harm incidents for each prison establishment are published on an annual basis in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin, published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

Statistics on self-inflicted deaths by establishment can be found in Table 1.16 in the annual tables which accompany each publication, and the number of self-harm incidents in table 2.13.

Figures for the rate of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm incidents in prison custody are given in tables 1.1 and 2.1 of the same bulletin. An attempted suicide can be recorded as a self-harm incident.

Government favours a self-regulatory approach to the internet; it is not for Government to tell media organisations whether they can publish certain content, beyond that which is illegal. Where websites include content which may encourage self-harm Government expects those website providers to act responsibly, for example by having robust processes in place for addressing content which contravenes acceptable use policies and by listening, and responding, to the concerns of their users.

In addition, the Prime Minister announced, following his summit of 18 November, that the four largest Internet Service Providers will shortly be delivering network-level family-friendly filters. Categories giving parents the opportunity to filter suicide or self-harm content will be offered by the majority of the ISPs.

I will answer shortly.

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Margaret Ritchie:

The Ministry of Defence is unaware of any such cases having occurred.

I will answer shortly.

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Margaret Ritchie:

The Ministry of Defence is unaware of any such cases having occurred.

I will answer shortly.

I will answer shortly.

Between the period 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2013 the following number of personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from a Ministry of Defence (MOD) medical centre in Northern Ireland:

Of these personnel, five cases were recorded by their units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

Between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2013 fewer than five army personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from an MOD medical centre in Northern Ireland. None of these incidences were recorded by units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

Between the period 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2013 the following number of personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from a Ministry of Defence (MOD) medical centre in Northern Ireland:

Of these personnel, five cases were recorded by their units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

Between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2013 fewer than five army personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from an MOD medical centre in Northern Ireland. None of these incidences were recorded by units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

We have introduced changes to the Prison and YOI rules that enable Governors and Independent Adjudicators to order compensation from individuals in custody who intentionally cause damage to property or the fabric of the custodial institution. The imposition of a compensation order will always take into account the particular circumstances of the individual concerned and will never exceed the value of the damage caused. Young people who are at risk of harm, who have special educational needs or who have mental health difficulties will not be excluded from the requirement to pay compensation where they have damaged property or the fabric of the custodial institution, but Governors are obliged to consider each young person’s particular circumstances when considering the amount of compensation.

The changes to the Prison and YOI rules are supported by a Prison Service Instruction (PSI 31/2013). Although the Children's Commissioner was not consulted on the development of these changes, which affect all offenders in custody, a review of the systems to incentivise and sanction young people in custody is underway and the Commissioner will be consulted on the development of that policy.

The Department is aware that studies suggest that the suicide rate amongst teenagers is below that in the general population; however self-harm is particularly common among young people.

In September 2012, alongside Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, the Department also published Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives, Assessment of impact on equalities, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Both documents are available on the Department’s website. This considers the evidence surrounding suicide and self-harm in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, and others with protected characteristics.

A review of the research literature suggests that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are at higher risk of mental disorder, suicide ideation, substance misuse and deliberate self-harm.

A survey commissioned by Stonewall in 2011, further suggests that young gay and bisexual men have a particularly high prevalence of suicide attempt, with one in ten gay and bisexual men aged 16 to 19 attempting to take their own life in the previous year.

The following table shows the most recent available data as requested for each of the three years, for young people under the age of 18 across England, Essex and Harlow. It should be noted that these are data from all Essex primary care trusts (PCTs) and Harlow is included in the West Essex PCT.

We are unable to provide a specific breakdown of data for Harlow, as the lowest level of geographic information available for the three years requested is at PCT level.

It should also be noted that this is not a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.

I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.

The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is there to support children of school age who are found to be self-harming.

Children's mental health is a priority for this Government. That is why we are investing £54 million over the four-year period 2011-15 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to drive service transformation in CAMHS—giving children and young people improved access to the best mental health care by embedding evidence based practice and making sure whole services use session by session outcome monitoring.

The Department is now funding the development of interactive e-learning programmes via an ePortal, intended for professionals and to be delivered in 2014. It will extend the skills and knowledge of national health service clinicians, staff working in universal settings, such as teachers, social workers, and counsellors and supervisors working in a range of educational and youth settings. This will also explore whether e-therapy options can be delivered to children and young people, such as computerised cognitive behavioural therapy.

It is not possible to provide information on the number of children detained in the youth estate who have worn alternative clothing under suicide prevention and self-harm management procedures; or the number of times in the same period, force was used on such children to replace normal clothing with alternative clothing because it would require the manual inspection of each individual’s record, which could only be done at disproportionate cost.

The safety of young people in custody is our highest priority. Self-harm management in the under-18 secure estate requires coordination between safer custody leads, child protection co-ordinators and wider multi-disciplinary teams, to ensure a young person is kept safe and their risk of self-harm is reduced.

The YJB does not collect self harm or restraint data on children who have been taken to hospital or children who have been admitted to hospital. The figures shown are the number of self-harm and restraint incidents involving serious injury that required hospital treatment.

Table 1 shows the number of children detained in (1) young offender institutions, (2) secure training centres, and (3) secure children’s homes who received hospital treatment following serious injury following self-harm, and the proportion of all self-harm incidents requiring hospital treatment by year and sector.

Table 2 shows the number of children detained in (1) young offender institutions, (2) secure training centres, and (3) secure children’s homes who received hospital treatment following serious injury following a restraint incident, and the proportion of all restraint incidents requiring hospital treatment by year and sector.

Source: Monthly returns from the secure estate to the YJB (Youth Justice Board)

Source: Monthly returns from the secure estate to the YJB (Youth Justice Board)

Notes:

• The term ‘Serious injury requiring hospital treatment’ includes serious cuts, fractures, loss of consciousness, damage to internal organs and poisoning. Treatment reflects the more serious nature of the injuries sustained and may include stitches, re-setting bones, operations and providing overnight observation.

• At establishments where 24-hour healthcare is available the young person may remain onsite for treatment meaning the figures could be understated.

• Due to the way the data is collected it is not possible to tell if the same children are involved in multiple incidents throughout the time period, meaning the figures could be overstated.

• The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

A table giving details of admissions for which the primary diagnosis is intentional self-harm and the patient is aged 0-17 in each of the three years 2009-10,. 2010-11, and 2011-12 has been placed in the Library.

The numbers of admissions to hospital of children aged 0-17 where the primary diagnosis was deliberate self-harm in each month of 2011-12 and 2012-13 are shown in the following table. Data for 2012-13 is provisional. It should be noted that the figures relate to admissions and not necessarily to numbers of children as some children may have been admitted more than once.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

The Government is committed to preventing self-harm and suicide. Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives was published on 10 September 2012. The new strategy – the first in more than 10 years – reflects concerns about misuse of the internet to promote suicide and suicide methods, and the Government’s commitment to continue working with the internet industry in the United Kingdom to keep young people safe online and to promote access to positive support for suicidal people. Similar concerns apply to websites promoting other harmful behaviours such as self-harm and eating disorders.

In January 2013 the Minister of State for Care Services met with internet security companies, charities and other Government departments to explore how to protect children and young people from harmful internet content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.

He encouraged the security companies, such as McAfee and Symantec, to work collaboratively with interest groups (including BEAT) and internet service providers to sign up to a concordat that would help to speed up the process for reporting harmful content and the blocking of harmful websites by parental controls. They gave him positive assurances that they would explore such a concordat. The Government would be willing to facilitate and support such an initiative however we can.

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety is already making parental controls more accessible so that parents can control children’s access to harmful content.

The numbers of admissions to hospital of children aged 0-17 where the primary diagnosis was deliberate self-harm in each month of 2011-12 and 2012-13 are shown in the following table. Data for 2012-13 is provisional. It should be noted that the figures relate to admissions and not necessarily to numbers of children as some children may have been admitted more than once.

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

The Government is committed to preventing self-harm and suicide. Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives was published on 10 September 2012. The new strategy – the first in more than 10 years – reflects concerns about misuse of the internet to promote suicide and suicide methods, and the Government’s commitment to continue working with the internet industry in the United Kingdom to keep young people safe online and to promote access to positive support for suicidal people. Similar concerns apply to websites promoting other harmful behaviours such as self-harm and eating disorders.

In January 2013 the Minister of State for Care Services met with internet security companies, charities and other Government departments to explore how to protect children and young people from harmful internet content related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.

He encouraged the security companies, such as McAfee and Symantec, to work collaboratively with interest groups (including BEAT) and internet service providers to sign up to a concordat that would help to speed up the process for reporting harmful content and the blocking of harmful websites by parental controls. They gave him positive assurances that they would explore such a concordat. The Government would be willing to facilitate and support such an initiative however we can.

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety is already making parental controls more accessible so that parents can control children’s access to harmful content.

All deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner's

inquest and it is for the coroner to determine the cause of death. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) classification system does not include suicide

as this requires knowledge of intent, which is not always known. Within the NOMS classification system, suicides are included in self-inflicted deaths, which also includes deaths where the prisoner took their own life irrespective of intent.

The number of apparent self-inflicted deaths for the last five years are provided in Table 1.

An attempted suicide will be recorded as a self-harm incident. As it is not always possible to know the intent of the person to attempt to take their own life the number of attempted suicides in prison is not available.

The number of self-harm incidents between 2008 and 2012 is provided in Table 2. These will be higher than the number of individuals self-harming in prison custody as some individuals may self-harm more than once.

Statistics on deaths, assaults and self-harm in prison custody are published quarterly in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-in-custody

The latest publication with figures up to 2012 was published on 25 April 2013.