Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of women's oral health in bridging the gap between prison care and community health services; and what part that will play in their renewed women's health strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women’s oral health matters for pain, nutrition, mental wellbeing, confidence and for safe resettlement. Although no assessment has been made, evidence shows higher unmet dental need in prisons. Prisoners often enter prison with higher rates of dental decay and oral disease than their peers in the community but with lower levels of treatment. This was most recently reviewed in “A survey of prison dental services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2017 to 2018” published by Public Health England in 2019.
Our approach to tackling inequalities brings together the national prison dental specification, the Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review and the Women’s Health Strategy. We will strengthen trauma informed, preventative care in women’s prisons, promote pre-release dental planning wherever possible and use RECONNECT to support GP and dental appointments on release. RECONNECT offers liaison, advocacy and support to engage with community-based health services to help ensure health needs of people leaving prison are met. This helps improve treatment continuity and reduces inequalities between custody and community care.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners recorded as transgender women who either still retain genitalia or have a history of sexual or violent offences have been granted an exemption by a Minister to serve their sentence in a male prison.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The latest available figures for transgender prisoners are set out in the table below:
| 31 March 2025 |
All reported transgender prisoners with a GRC | 9 |
(no further breakdowns provided) |
|
All reported transgender prisoners without a GRC | 339 |
(further breakdowns provided below) |
|
|
|
Biological sex |
|
Biological sex female | 63 |
Biological sex male | 276 |
|
|
Self-identified gender identity |
|
Female | 247 |
Male | 64 |
Non-binary | 18 |
Other (one of identifying in a different way, not recorded/not stated) | 10 |
|
|
Women's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in women's estates | 64 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | ~ |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | 61 |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
|
|
Men's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in men's estates | 275 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | 245 |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | ~ |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
The Ministerial exemption process only applies to the placement of transgender women (defined in HMPPS as biological males who identify as females) in women's prisons. Transgender women with birth genitalia and/or any history of violent or sexual offending can only be placed in the general women's estate in exceptional circumstances and where an exemption has been granted by Ministers. No transgender women have received such an exemption under this Government.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many transgender women are currently serving a prison sentence.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The latest available figures for transgender prisoners are set out in the table below:
| 31 March 2025 |
All reported transgender prisoners with a GRC | 9 |
(no further breakdowns provided) |
|
All reported transgender prisoners without a GRC | 339 |
(further breakdowns provided below) |
|
|
|
Biological sex |
|
Biological sex female | 63 |
Biological sex male | 276 |
|
|
Self-identified gender identity |
|
Female | 247 |
Male | 64 |
Non-binary | 18 |
Other (one of identifying in a different way, not recorded/not stated) | 10 |
|
|
Women's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in women's estates | 64 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | ~ |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | 61 |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
|
|
Men's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in men's estates | 275 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | 245 |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | ~ |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
The Ministerial exemption process only applies to the placement of transgender women (defined in HMPPS as biological males who identify as females) in women's prisons. Transgender women with birth genitalia and/or any history of violent or sexual offending can only be placed in the general women's estate in exceptional circumstances and where an exemption has been granted by Ministers. No transgender women have received such an exemption under this Government.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners recorded as transgender women are currently serving their sentence in a male prison.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The latest available figures for transgender prisoners are set out in the table below:
| 31 March 2025 |
All reported transgender prisoners with a GRC | 9 |
(no further breakdowns provided) |
|
All reported transgender prisoners without a GRC | 339 |
(further breakdowns provided below) |
|
|
|
Biological sex |
|
Biological sex female | 63 |
Biological sex male | 276 |
|
|
Self-identified gender identity |
|
Female | 247 |
Male | 64 |
Non-binary | 18 |
Other (one of identifying in a different way, not recorded/not stated) | 10 |
|
|
Women's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in women's estates | 64 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | ~ |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | 61 |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
|
|
Men's establishments |
|
Number of transgender prisoners in men's estates | 275 |
Transgender women (biological sex male, self-identifies as female) | 245 |
Transgender men (biological sex female, self-identifies as male) | ~ |
Other (one of non-binary, identifying in a different way, or not stated/not known) | ~ |
The Ministerial exemption process only applies to the placement of transgender women (defined in HMPPS as biological males who identify as females) in women's prisons. Transgender women with birth genitalia and/or any history of violent or sexual offending can only be placed in the general women's estate in exceptional circumstances and where an exemption has been granted by Ministers. No transgender women have received such an exemption under this Government.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure (a) equality of access to and (b) quality of healthcare provision across the (i) women’s and (ii) Children and Young People's estate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To improve health and social care outcomes for all women in prison and upon their release, NHS England and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service commissioned the National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review. The review’s report identified a number of recommendations to improve equity and quality of care to meet the specific needs of women in prison.
A wide range of actions to implement these recommendations are taking place at establishment, regional, and national levels, backed by £21 million across three years, and overseen by the Joint Women's Prison Health and Social Care Review Implementation Programme Board.
The health issues facing those detained in the children and young people secure estate are systematically kept under review through regular health and wellbeing needs assessments and the Healthcare Standards for Children and Young People in Secure Settings.
The Framework for Integrated Care operates in the children and young people secure estate as a coherent structure for a comprehensive, trauma-informed system of care that focuses on individualised care rather than on separate labels, diagnoses, or interventions.
NHS England has also commissioned the three-year Benchmarking Project, aimed at assessing and supporting the implementation of the Healthcare Standards for Children and Young People in Secure Settings.
Further work is underway to identify where the existing pathway in the children and young people secure estate requires enhancement to better support the placement, management, and care of all girls in secure settings. This work will be informed by evidence and best practice and will be developed with experts to test the most appropriate model of care.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that biological male prisoners are not held in women's prisons.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Almost all transgender prisoners are already allocated in line with their biological sex. Over 95% of transgender women are held in men's prisons, and the majority of those in the women's estate are held on E Wing at HMP/YOI Downview, a separate unit where they cannot access the wider regime unless risk assessed as being safe to do so and they are supervised by staff.
No transgender women who retain their birth genitalia and/or have any history of sexual or violent offences can be held in the general women’s estate unless an exemption is granted by a Minister.
The small number of transgender women who are held in the general women's estate are there because they have been risk-assessed as being safe to do so, and because there is a compelling reason to hold them there (which can include risks to them from a placement elsewhere).
We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy following the For Women Scotland vs. The Scottish Ministers Supreme Court ruling and will be able to say more about this in due course.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of violence in women's prisons.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Violence in prisons may be caused, or triggered, by a range of factors, including personal characteristics such as existing patterns of behaviour, substance misuse or traumatic life experiences. Factors particularly relevant to the women’s estate include trauma, relational complexities and separation from children.
Information on the rate of assaults in female establishments in the 12 months to June 2025 can be found at the following link: Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to September 2025 Assaults and Self-harm to June 2025 - GOV.UK.
The Managing Women in Crisis Working Group in His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) was established to increase understanding of complex behaviour in this group of prisoners, and to consider how best to support them. This includes developing guidance and training for staff. In addition, HMPPS’s Women’s Estate Case Advice and Support Panel supports establishments in the management of women with complex needs. It aims to help reduce risk and to enable women to progress in their sentences.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will make an assessment of the proportion of inmates on the women’s estate who have immediate access to menstrual products in their cells.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All women in prison have access to menstrual products, which are typically stored in locations that allow women to collect items themselves as needed. They are then able to store them in their cells. In circumstances – such as overnight – where a woman is confined to her cell and does not have access to menstrual products, she can alert a member of staff, who will ensure that appropriate provision is made without delay.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
How many biological males are held in women's prisons.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
No transgender women who retain their birth genitalia, or have any history of sexual or violent offences, can be held in the general women’s estate unless an exemption is granted by a Minister.
The number of transgender women prisoners in the general women's estate is in the low single figures.
This is as a result of decisions taken by past Justice Secretaries, and the current Government has not moved any transgender women into the general women’s estate since taking office.
We are reviewing transgender prisoner policy following the recent Supreme Court ruling. We will ensure that we are fully compliant with this ruling, which has brought long overdue and much needed clarity to this question.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times were drugs were found in (a) men's and (b) women's prisons in each year between 2015 and 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The information requested can be found via the following link: 08_Finds_drug_type_data_tool.ods.
In the pivot table, “Prison Name” should be entered in the rows and “Month” in columns to find the number of incidents by prison.