Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the placement of trans people in the prison estate; whether the placement of Sally Dixon in HMP Bronzefield is consistent with that policy; and if he will make a statement.

HM Prison & Probation Service’s policy framework ‘The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender’ sets out the way in which placement decisions are made for transgender prisoners. Transgender offenders will be held in a prison which matches their legally recognised gender unless a decision has been approved by a Complex Case Board to hold them at another location.

These boards are made up of experts, including a senior prison manager, and make a robust assessment of all known risks both to and from the individual in question. This assessment includes consideration of the individual’s offending history and anatomy.

I am currently reviewing transgender prisoner allocation policy and will come forward with more details once this review has been completed.

It would be inappropriate to comment on an individual case.