My Lords, I, too, thank my noble friend for securing this important debate. I strongly support his call for a strong, clear focus on the particular needs of women in prison. There is much ground to cover, so I hope that noble Lords will forgive me for reading from a script. I will seek to concentrate on the needs in prison of pregnant women, women giving birth and recovering from childbirth, and infants and toddlers if there is time. In particular, I shall ask the Minister for her response to the recent report by the Maternity Alliance, Getting it Right, on services for pregnant women, new mothers and babies in prison, and its call for a review of services.

Before doing so, I reiterate my support for my noble friend's call for an improved strategic focus on women in custody. We have seen significant benefits accrue to children in custody through the Youth Justice Board. Louise Casey was appointed the tsar for rough sleeping, with a target of reducing rough-sleeper numbers by two-thirds within three years. She transformed services for rough sleepers. The winter prior to her arrival, I spent one evening a week in a cold weather shelter for young people. I was appalled that the most vulnerable 18 to 25 year-olds, many of them substance misusers or with mental disorders, were being cared for by the least experienced young staff. Within a year, the new service could not have been more different. I had the pleasure of serving under the new manager of the cold weather project for several months; I admired him. In particular, he initiated weekly consultation sessions with the young people in the hostel, which were immensely successful.

I warmly welcome the review of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's provision for children and families initiated by the noble Baroness, Lady Ashton of Upholland. The so-called children's champion, Jeremy Oppenheim, director of the National Asylum Support Service and a former director of social services, has the experience and authority to make a difference. My noble friend's call for a renewal of the focus on women has my strongest support. I have seen what a difference such a concentration can make on those who are most chaotic and on where the most resource-intensive services need to be focused.

I turn to prisons and pregnant women, new mothers, babies and toddlers, on which there is every reason to invest in the very best services. Quite apart from our concern for the welfare of those children and adults, excellent interventions at this time can help to break the cycle of criminality, anti-social behaviour and social dependency from one generation to another. Last Friday, the Cassel Hospital, a centre for the treatment of adults, adolescents and families with personality disorders, held a conference on the impact of parents' severe personality difficulties on their children's development. The Department of Health guidance on the development of services for such disorders cites the Cassel Hospital as a notable practice site. The paper, from Beate Schumacher, a psychoanalyst practising at the Cassel, highlighted that many experts considered personality disorders as being closely rooted in early parental care, particularly in care by the mother. One pattern that Ms Schumacher observed was mothers who had had empty, loveless childhoods seeking to rescue themselves by giving birth to a child. The child, to their minds, would make up for all that void. One abusive mother said:

"I can't live without my child. All he wants is me. He is my world".

Once such a mother is confronted with the reality that her child is incessantly demanding and will eventually grow away from her, she may often harm or neglect it.

The charity Mind recently arranged for a mother who had suffered from maternal depression to speak to parliamentarians. She ran her own business and was educated and affluent. In her many months of depression, she found herself taking pleasure in the tears of her baby and preparing on two occasions simply to leave that child. Some 70 per cent of women sentenced to prison have two or more mental disorders and it would be welcome if the Minister could give details of the percentage of those with personality disorders. Tessa Baraden, a child psychologist based at the Anna Freud Centre who established the infant psychotherapy service at Holloway women's prison, described many of her clients as being at the severe end of personality disorders.

To break the cycle of crime and social dependency, provision for pregnant women, new mothers and infants in prisons should be the best that we can afford. In my recent visit, it was good to see Her Majesty's Government's investment in mother and baby units at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre—in some ways, it is an excellent facility. It is to be welcomed that child psychotherapy is being made available at Holloway prison and that it may be expanded.

The move Her Majesty's Government made in transferring responsibility for health in the Prison Service to the National Health Service has been widely welcomed. However, the important Maternity Alliance report highlights many weaknesses. Over 600 women receive ante-natal care in prison each year, with over 100 women giving birth during their sentences. Some 80 mother and baby places across England are spread between seven prisons, but provision for pregnant prisoners is inadequate, as their needs often go unmet. There is no Prison Service order on pregnancy and there are stark variations in ante-natal services across the prison estate. As there is no Prison Service order, there is no description of a minimum-standard service that the woman should receive. Therefore there is no guidance, for instance, on how to restrain an agitated or aggressive pregnant woman. There is a lack of support available for women in mother and baby units, which is particularly worrying in light of those women's increased levels of depression and anxiety. Some do not feel fully involved in a decision about their baby's future—that is also a cause for concern—and 8 per cent of those children are taken into care.

Aspects of Her Majesty's Government's policy towards these women are to be welcomed, but there are also a number of important shortcomings. It is vital that these women receive excellent support to bond well with their children and to prevent future crime or dependency. Therefore, I ask the Minister to reassure the House by saying that she will give active consideration to a review of services for pregnant women, new mothers and babies in the Prison Service, as the Maternity Alliance strongly recommends in its report. I look forward to her response.