To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inquests were held into death in prisons, in police custody, psychiatric and special hospitals in the last five years.

Information on inquests on deaths in police custody is published annually. The most recent figures, for 1990, are contained in Home Office statistical bulletin 12/91 and in the annual report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Figures for earlier years are given in the annual report of Her Majesty's chief inspector of constabulary.The only other information available in my Department is the number of inquests on deaths which occurred in prison establishments, during the last five years. These were: