Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the number of prisoners who have previously served in the armed forces; and how many such people have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Data is not collected centrally about the current or previous occupations of those convicted of criminal offences. Information is therefore not available on the number of prisoners who have previously served in the armed forces nor on the number of ex-service personnel who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, in 2010, the Ministry of Justice and Defence Analytical Services and Advice estimated that approximately 3.5% (2,280) of prisoners in England and Wales were ex-service personnel.

All prisoners in England, including ex-service personnel prisoners, are subject to Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 74/2011 Early days in custody – reception in, first night in custody, and induction to custody. This requires that reception screening is provided before the prisoner's first night, to assess a prisoner's risk of self-harm and suicide, risk of harm to others, or risk of harm from others. People with a severe mental health problem, or vulnerable to suicide, may be referred for a further mental health assessment. A copy of this PSI has been placed in the Library. NHS England and the National Offender Management Service are reviewing all PSIs, so current guidance is subject to change.

Stephen Phillips QC, MP is conducting an independent review of ex-service personnel within the criminal justice system (CJS). The mental health needs of veterans in the CJS will be included within the review, which is due to report back to the Ministry of Justice in autumn 2014.