Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing drug rehabilitation programmes within prisons where there are registered drug addicts.

In England, the NHS is responsible for commissioning healthcare services in all prisons including integrated substance misuse services. The Ministry of Justice works with NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Welsh Government, to ensure all prisoners access treatment that meets their needs and to support a meaningful recovery from drug dependency.

The Government is investing a record £780m in drug treatment and recovery over the 3-year Spending Review period, with the Ministry of Justice investing £120m of this to get more offenders across the Criminal Justice System engaged in treatment. With this investment, we will enhance testing regimes in prison, expand the use of Incentivised Substance-Free Living units where prisoners commit to remain drug-free and undergo regular drug tests, rollout Drug Recovery Wings to support people recovering from opiate addiction, and support prisoners to engage with community treatment ahead of their release.