asked Her Majesty's Government:

What arrangements they have in place to ensure that seriously mentally ill prisoners in the area covered by Lincolnshire's health authority who are not normally resident in that area are transferred from prison to a mental health unit without delay. [HL3183]

Prisoners who are assessed as severely mentally ill under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 should be transferred to hospital as quickly as possible. The usual residence of a prisoner should not be a delaying factor in the management of these cases.

Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust is currently working with the regional offender health team of the East Midlands Care Service Improvement Partnership to organise workshops to develop best practice and new procedures in increasing the speed of transfer of prisoners who require treatment under the Mental Health Act.