Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what categories of illegal items have been found in packages sent to prisoners in the latest year for which information is available; and how many items were in each category in that period.

We take a zero-tolerance approach to contraband in prisons. Anyone found with illicit items should be subject to disciplinary proceedings or, where appropriate, referral to the police.

The categories of illicit items that prisons use to record where items are in packages sent to prisoners are ‘alcohol’, ‘tobacco’, ‘weapons’, ‘drugs’, ‘phones’ and ‘other reportable items’.

We have not previously published data regarding how many illegal items in all of the categories above have been found in packages sent to prisoners. The information requested is planned for publication by the Ministry of Justice in July, and will be available on GOV.UK.