Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help prison staff combat substance misuse by inmates in the prison estate.

We recognise that levels of illicit drug use in prisons remain too high, and we are committed to creating safe, stable environments where staff are equipped with the tools and support they need to promote recovery and drug-free living. We have invested over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons, including £10 million on drone countermeasures, to help prevent drugs entering prisons in the first place.

We work closely with our health partners to ensure that prisoners with a drug and alcohol dependency are identified at the earliest opportunity. This helps create the conditions in which their addictions can be effectively addressed, and aims to ensure access to consistent, high-quality treatment and care across the estate. Our Incentivised Substance Free Living units, now funded in 88 prisons, provide structured pathways to recovery using incentives and regular drug testing. We are also increasing access to mutual aid groups across the estate, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics anonymous, and have taken steps to review our drug testing regime as a whole to ensure it supports the best outcomes.

We are committed to ensuring that our staff in specialist roles have the skills they need, including our 54 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons, who work to implement local drug strategies effectively. At prison group level, we have recruited 17 Drug and Alcohol Leads to support joint working with health commissioners across wider geographies. Alongside this, naloxone, a drug used for suspected opioid overdose, is now available in every prison, with over 10,000 prison staff trained in the emergency use of nasal naloxone. Naloxone training is also embedded into foundation training for all new prison officers, strengthening frontline capability to prevent harm.