Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the level of use of synthetic cannabinoids in prisons.

In 2017/18, the rate of positive tests for new psychoactive substances in random mandatory drug testing was 12.2%.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are a game changer for prison safety, and this statistic reinforces the scale of the challenge.

We are addressing this head on, and our £7m investment in prison security will further bolster defences via airport-security style scanners, improved searching techniques and phone-blocking technology.

We have also launched a drugs taskforce with law enforcement and health partners across government to restrict supply, reduce demand and build recovery.

We are also adopting pioneering approaches such as our ‘Drug Recovery Prison’ pilot at HMP Holme House, which is leading the way in tackling the supply of drugs and putting offenders on a long-term path to recovery.