asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the adverse effects of repeated transfers of prisoners on their mental health; and, if so, what steps they are taking to minimise this. [HL852]

There is currently little information about the impact of imprisonment on people with mental health problems.

The Government are funding a three-year study on The Pathway of Prisoners with Mental Health Problems through Prison Health Services and the Effect of the Prison Environment on the Mental Health of Prisoners.

The study is due to complete in March 2008. Further information is available on the Department of Health's national research register at www.nrr.nhs.uk/ViewDocument.asp?ID=M0007172306.

The Prison Service’s instruction 3050 on the continuity of healthcare for prisoners sets out how prisons should ensure that health treatments are continued when a prisoner moves from one prison to another. The Department of Health document, the Offender Mental Health Care Pathway, reiterates this advice, specifically for prisoners with mental health problems.