Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of suicides in prison over the last 12 months.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and the Government is committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison.

There is a variety of financial costs associated with responding to and investigating each self-inflicted death, making it difficult to calculate the total. However, it is the human cost, in terms of the loss of life, and the impact on the lives of others, including the bereaved family and friends and the staff who worked with the individual, that is of concern to the Government. It is our determination to avoid these harms, and our commitment to the welfare of those in our care, that drive our work to prevent self-inflicted deaths.