Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18–24, or (2) 25 years or older, have been (a) in receipt of mental health care, or (b) referred to mental health support, whilst in custody.

This information is not collected in the format requested.

However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have advised that, as at 30 November 2021, the records of nine women aged 18 to 24 years old and 324 women aged 25 years old and over in prison indicate a severe and enduring mental health condition according to Quality and Outcomes Framework definitions and are likely to have received related intervention for their condition. This represents women presenting with significant levels of mental ill-health requiring specialist mental health service interventions and does not include women in custody who have accessed primary care mental health services and are treated through normal primary care provision for lower level presentations.