Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women in HMP New Hall who had babies or infants resident with them in prison had those children taken away from them in 2017.

During 2016/17 (the year for which the most recent published data is available), 3 women returned to the general prison population at New Hall following a separation from their baby or babies.

Women in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) may be separated from their children for a number of reasons. The most common would be the child reaching an age where it would be in its best interests to live outside of the prison environment, but there will also be cases where the mother decides that she wishes to hand out the child to family or friends or where the mother’s prison behaviour mean that separation would be in the best interests of the child.