Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of prisons ignoring advice from medical professionals that a prisoner be put on medical hold rather than transferred; and what estimate he has made of the number instances of that practice in HMP Preston in the last three years.

There are complex and wide-ranging issues involved in transferring prisoners, and allocation decisions must reflect both the specific needs and circumstances of the prisoner, as well as the operating environment and range of services at the receiving prison.

All prisons in England and Wales are required to maintain the continuity of health care for prisoners, in accordance with Prison Service Order 3050. This can be found at https://www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/psos. No assessment or estimate has been made by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service in relation to allegations that HMP Preston have disregarded medical advice. However, prisoners are able to raise disputes via local procedures which will be investigated accordingly.