Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the status is of (a) the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman and (b) any other investigation into the death in custody of HM Prison Holloway prisoner Sarah Reed who was pronounced dead on 11 January 2016.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we work hard to learn the lessons from each death. All deaths in prison custody are subject to a police investigation, an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and a Coroner’s inquest.

I can confirm that each of these processes has begun following the death of Ms Reed, and I extend my condolences to her family and friends. Until investigations have concluded it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.