Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of prison assaults in 2017 that were committed as a result of the assailant taking a psychoactive substance.

The number of assaults by prisoners is published in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. The records from which this information is drawn do not include information about whether or not the prisoner or prisoners involved had taken a psychoactive substance, because it is not possible for staff to know that at the time of the incident.

We know that the availability of psychoactive substances is a driver of violence in prisons, and we take the issue extremely seriously. We have implemented a new drug testing programme; we have invested in technology and sniffer dogs to improve detection; and we have formed a drugs task force focused on the prisons with the worst drug problems, which will tackle demand and supply. In addition, we are investing £2million in body-worn cameras, which will act as a visible deterrent against violence and assist with prosecutions. We are also introducing new-style handcuffs and piloting PAVA incapacitant spray.