Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with trade unions on the effectiveness of monitoring systems for psychoactive substances in prisons.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service consults extensively with its trade unions on a wide range of issues.

Each prison has its own union management consultation committee and a health and safety committee. At national level there are consultation committees which cover areas including health and safety, HR and security. Meetings are chaired by senior leaders and the agendas are open to both sides.

HMPPS’s priority remains the prevention and cessation of any drug supply into prisons and consultation on all the related risks is undertaken in the forums I have referred to above.

Additionally, all Prison Service unions have been represented on the national working group on psychoactive substances – which was set up in late 2016.

Most recently unions have actively contributed to the revision of related health and safety procedures on the subject, including in 10 prisons where staff are being voluntarily tested for exposure to such substances.