Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the planned timescale is for publishing the report by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman on the death of two babies in prisons.

The PPO’s final investigation reports into deaths are only published after an inquest has taken place. Reports are not published in advance of the inquest to avoid any possibility of influencing the verdict.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has advised me that she has concluded the independent investigation into the death of a baby at HMP Bronzefield and will shortly issue a draft report to the mother, the prison and the healthcare providers for fact checking, as well as to the coroner for information. A final report will then be produced and sent to the same stakeholders.

She has also advised that the independent investigation into the death of a baby at HMP Styal is ongoing, and that a timescale for publication of the report will not be available until its conclusion.