JUSTICE Secretary Robert Buckland has pledged meet the mother of Forest Bank prison victim Michael McDonagh following two investigations into his death.

He also said he would "seriously consider" any findings resulting from the investigations into Michael McDonagh's death at Forest Bank prison in Salford.

Investigations are taking place into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) and coroner's inquest.

Paranoid schizophrenia sufferer Michael was found dead by an inmate in his cell on February 19. He is one of seven people to die at Forest Bank in the last 14 months.

In a reply to Ashton and Failsworth MP Angela Rayner, who has taken up complaints from Michael's mother Margaret over the handling of her son's death , he sent condolences to her family for their loss.

He went on: "I would like to assure her that I am committed to improving prison safety and ensuring that we are doing everything we can to prevent families from experiencing such loss in the future.

"I appreciate that it may be frustrating and distressing not have answers that she feels she needs now.

"I would like to assure Mrs McDonagh that the purpose of these investigation is to ensure that circumstances of deaths are fully and independently considered, and to identify any areas that need improvement.

"As part of the investigations, both the PPO and coroner will be in contact with her and her family to ensure that they have the opportunity to ask questions and raise any concerns.

"I am afraid that while these investigations are ongoing I am unable to comment directly on the circumstances of Michael's death as I would not wish to risk compromising their independence by seeking to anticipate their findings.

"However, I can assure Mrs McDonagh that once these are complete we will seriously consider their findings to make sure that we make any changes or improvement that may contribute to the prevention of future deaths."

He added: "I have asked that Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service safety team to inform my office when these investigations are complete, at which point I would be keen to meet Mrs McDonagh to her from her directly about her experiences."