Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact transgender prison policies on the (a) safety, (b) dignity and (c) privacy of biologically female prisoners.

Prior to any placement, a risk assessment would be carried out by a multidisciplinary panel chaired by a specially trained senior prison manager, with senior staff from the HMPPS Womens Group including a psychologist. Assessments take account of all known risks posed by an individual, based on a comprehensive range of factors, together with the potential impact on other prisoners.

This Government inherited the policy regarding allocation of transgender prisoners from the previous Government. No transgender women have been moved into the general women’s estate, including at HMP Downview, since 4 July 2024. We are reviewing the policy in light of the Supreme Court ruling and will set out any changes to our approach in due course.