Taxis are not routinely used for transporting prisoners to and from court or for inter-prison transfers. However, they are used for a variety of individual and short-notice journeys for prisoners, subject to risk assessment, where prison or other transport is not available and where it is cost-effective to do so. This can include journeys for medical treatment where an ambulance is not appropriate, urgent transfers between prisons, and travel to work or community placements where there is no suitable public transport. Taxi fares are normally paid through an account and the costs of journeys undertaken by prisoners cannot be identified separately from official journeys undertaken by staff.