Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of capacity in secure and forensic mental health facilities; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential merits of increasing the number of prisoners moved into such facilities.

No such recent assessment has been made. However, NHS England has advised that work is currently underway with the 15 Adult Secure Provider Collaboratives across England to speed up the safe and timely transfer of appropriately assessed people from prison. This includes identifying existing capacity, including workforce estates and location, that can be reconfigured at pace; identifying where additional capacity, including workforce and estates, may be required; and, scoping at pace, the creation of alternative clinically safe service models.

Decisions about transferring people with severe mental health needs from prison to secure hospital are made on the basis of a robust clinical assessment to ensure that people in prison get the care they need in the right setting.

Ministers have not yet had any such discussions. My colleague, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Women's Health and Mental Health, will be meeting with her Ministerial counterparts in the Ministry of Justice in due course to discuss matters relating to offender health and how our departments can work together.