Sir, - In her report of Ms Roisin McAliskey's application for bail, Rachel Borrell thrice referred to the British Prison Service instead of the English Prison Service.
As someone who believes Ms McAliskey should be granted bail, may I point out to you that when pregnant women prisoners detained in the Cornton Vale Prison in Scotland, give birth to their babies they are allowed to care for them for a period of 12 months. These women are treated with a degree of sensitivity which appears wholly absent in English prisons.
Incidentally, I have told the director of the English Prison Service that, if denied bail, Ms McAliskey should be afforded similar treatment to that which pertains in Cornton Vale. I have also sought an assurance that Ms McAliskey, if still in custody at the time, should not be manacled before, during or after the birth of her child. - Yours, etc.,
House of Commons,
London SW1A OAA.