To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department until what age a women serving a prison sentence in England and Wales is allowed to have a young child with them while they are in prison. [112047]

There are no restrictions on the age of mothers who have young children with them in prison but the mother and baby units in prisons are designed to accommodate young children up to about 18 months. The position in any particular case depends on an assessment of what is in the best interests of the child.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women who are serving a prison sentence in England and Wales for periods of time up to (a) one year, (b) two years, (c) three years, (d) four years and (e) five years have children under the age of 14. [112048]

There is no routinely collected data on the number of women prisoners who have young children. However, a study of women prisoners and their work in custody, published in 2000, found that 66 per cent, had dependent children under the age of 18 (out of a sample of 567 sentenced women).Another Home Office study found broadly similar results: from a large sample of imprisoned women and mothers, published in 1997, 60 per cent, of female prisoners, sentenced and unsentenced, had dependent children under the age of 18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects all girl prisoners to be removed from prison and placed in local authority care. [112516]

The commissioning and purchasing of secure accommodation for under-18s, and the placement of most individual offenders, in that age group, are the responsibility of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.On 18 February 2003 the Board announced its intention to remove all under-17-year-old girls from Prison Service accommodation during 2003 and to place them instead in secure training centres and local authority security children's homes. As of 12 May, there were no 15-year-old girls in Prison Service accommodation, and 16 16-year-olds.This is in line with the commitment given by my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary (Mr. Straw) in March 1999 when he said that he intended to use the greater flexibility provided by the detention and training order to place sentenced 15 and 16-year-old girls in available non-Prison Service accommodation. The detention and training order came into force in April 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) 15-year-old, (b) 16-year-old and (c) 17-year-old girls were (i) held in prison, (ii) cautioned for offences and (iii) found guilty of offences in each year since 1997. [112517]

The numbers of 15-year-old, 16-year-old and 17-year-old females who were held in Prison Service establishments, cautioned and convicted of offences in each year since 1997 are given in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women serving a prison sentence in England and Wales have young children with them in prison. [112279]

On 28 April 2003 there were 44 women serving sentences who had young children with them in prison.