Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the pilot scheme to test wastewater for illegal drug use in prisons launched by his Department in 2021.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We are committed to identifying and tackling drug misuse in prisons, including through a range of drug testing approaches. In 2021, we undertook a small-scale proof of concept study at 13 prisons to understand wastewaters utility in detecting the presence or absence of illicit substances. Following successful detection in the pilot, we are continuing to test wastewater-based surveillance and its potential in assessing the prevalence of illicit substances in prisons. The evidence base around wastewater-based surveillance is continually developing and so we are working with leading academics and embedding quality assurance into our methods.
Prisons continue to have a zero-tolerance culture, and any prisoner suspected of taking illicit substances can still be subjected to a mandatory drug test. As part of the ambitious cross-Government Drug Strategy, we are rolling out a range of interventions to support prisoners off drugs and into recovery, such as doubling the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living wings and supporting prisoners to engage with community treatment pre-release.
We are also committed to tackling the supply of drugs into prison. Our £100m Security Investment Programme completed in March 2022 and delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners, resulting in full coverage across the closed male estate. We have also installed 84 X-ray baggage scanners 49 sites, building on the rollout of our body scanners, drug trace detection machines and metal detection archways.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to tackle increases in the use of nitazenes (a) nationally and (b) in the South East England.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care continues to monitor the use of nitazenes and other synthetic opioids and has taken action to tackle the threat they pose. In July 2023, a National Patient Safety Alert was issued to the National Health Service and others, warning of potent synthetic opioids implicated in heroin overdoses and deaths and actions that local areas should take. The Department of Health and Social Care is a core member of the cross-government Task Force to develop mitigations to the synthetic opioids threat. Membership of the task force also includes the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, National Crime Agency, HM Prisons and Probation Service, Border Force and the police. As part of those mitigations, the Department of Health and Social Care is accelerating its work to expand access to naloxone and developing a drugs surveillance and early warning system.
The Government is investing £780 million nationally between 2022/23 and 2024/25 through drug strategy funding to improve drug treatment and recovery systems which will focus on increasing the numbers in treatment for opiate use.
In the South East specifically, an additional £43.7 million has been allocated via the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) Grant and £3.3 million for the Inpatient Detoxification Grant to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems, totalling £47m. The following tables show indicative funding allocations for these grants for each area in the South East:
Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) Grant | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | Total |
Bracknell Forest | £144,526 | £147,375 | £206,039 | £497,940 |
Brighton and Hove | £1,142,490 | £1,872,323 | £3,613,294 | £6,628,107 |
Buckinghamshire | £339,114 | £345,800 | £584,638 | £1,269,552 |
East Sussex | £391,085 | £1,741,085 | £2,028,218 | £4,160,388 |
Hampshire | £802,715 | £818,541 | £1,541,380 | £3,162,636 |
Isle of Wight | £275,155 | £280,580 | £417,554 | £973,290 |
Kent | £1,101,719 | £2,202,986 | £3,615,400 | £6,920,105 |
Medway | £389,709 | £418,172 | £686,277 | £1,494,159 |
Oxfordshire | £622,452 | £634,724 | £1,136,228 | £2,393,403 |
Portsmouth | £503,741 | £825,535 | £1,593,156 | £2,922,432 |
Reading | £413,221 | £469,761 | £770,942 | £1,653,924 |
Slough | £266,434 | £271,687 | £277,256 | £815,378 |
Southampton | £654,506 | £1,072,611 | £2,069,974 | £3,797,091 |
Surrey | £721,703 | £735,933 | £1,500,381 | £2,958,017 |
West Berkshire | £184,055 | £187,684 | £220,527 | £592,265 |
West Sussex | £665,692 | £678,817 | £1,306,719 | £2,651,228 |
Windsor and Maidenhead | £164,752 | £168,000 | £240,617 | £573,368 |
Wokingham | £83,007 | £84,644 | £144,184 | £311,835 |
Total | £8,866,076 | £12,956,258 | £21,952,784 | £43,775,118 |
Inpatient Detoxification Grant | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | Total |
Bracknell Forest | £13,809 | £13,809 | £13,809 | £41,427 |
Brighton and Hove | £96,016 | £96,016 | £96,016 | £288,048 |
Buckinghamshire | £44,258 | £44,258 | £44,258 | £132,774 |
East Sussex | £72,422 | £72,422 | £72,422 | £217,266 |
Hampshire | £121,199 | £121,199 | £121,199 | £363,597 |
Isle of Wight | £22,750 | £22,750 | £22,750 | £68,250 |
Kent | £167,295 | £167,295 | £167,295 | £501,885 |
Medway | £37,006 | £37,006 | £37,006 | £111,018 |
Oxfordshire | £96,612 | £96,612 | £96,612 | £289,836 |
Portsmouth | £48,132 | £48,132 | £48,132 | £144,396 |
Reading | £41,625 | £41,625 | £41,625 | £124,875 |
Slough | £23,991 | £23,991 | £23,991 | £71,973 |
Southampton | £58,364 | £58,364 | £58,364 | £175,092 |
Surrey | £106,099 | £106,099 | £106,099 | £318,297 |
West Berkshire | £16,392 | £16,392 | £16,392 | £49,176 |
West Sussex | £96,214 | £96,214 | £96,214 | £288,642 |
Windsor and Maidenhead | £17,335 | £17,335 | £17,335 | £52,005 |
Wokingham | £9,686 | £9,686 | £9,686 | £29,058 |
Total | £1,089,205 | £1,089,205 | £1,089,205 | £3,287,837 |
Further details of funding allocations for individual local authority areas are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extra-funding-for-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-2024-to-2025
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to tackle the (a) importation, (b) manufacture, (c) sale and (d) distribution of nitazenes.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In December 2021, the Government launched its ten-year drug strategy, From Harm to Hope, to cut crime and save lives. As part of this, £300 million has been allocated to fund activity to break drugs supply chains from end-to-end, this includes restricting upstream flow, securing the UK border, and ensuring we remain agile in the face of changing threats.
The NCA, the Police and Border Force are delivering a robust multi-agency response to detections of nitazenes, ensuring lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of illicit synthetic opioids to and within the UK. This approach sends a clear message to serious and organised criminals that supply of these dangerous substances will not be tolerated in the UK.
We have also established a cross-Government Taskforce to lead and co-ordinate the UK’s strategic response to the risk from synthetic opioids. Members include the Home Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Justice, National Crime Agency, HM Prisons and Probation Service, Border Force and the police.
The Government recently laid a draft affirmative Order in November 2023 to control 20 substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, including 14 nitazenes as Class A drugs. This will likely come into force in March. The maximum sentence for possession or supply of a Class A drug is up to life imprisonment, a fine, or both.
On 15 December 2023, the ACMD recommended an updated generic definition for nitazene variants. The Government will respond to this recommendation shortly.
Additionally, through the Criminal Justice Bill, we are introducing new powers for the police to take action against criminals who intend to use pill presses and encapsulators to manufacture illicit drugs like nitazenes and other synthetic opioids.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug-related deaths have occurred in prisons each year since 2019.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There were 17 drug-related deaths in custody in 2019 identified when matching HMPPS deaths data to the ONS deaths registration database, as can be found in this publication: Drug-related deaths and suicide in prison custody in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).
The data used in this publication was for deaths from 2008 to 2019, and the information is not held in the form in which it has been requested from 2020 onwards. To identify drug-related deaths from 2020 onwards is not possible within the cost limit. This is due to the methodology needed to be consistent with the publication above. Linking each HMPPS death to the ONS deaths registration database to identify those which were drug-related is a complex task that would exceed the cost limit. As mentioned in the Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics – “Although HMPPS monitors drug related deaths, it does not use this category in published statistics because they are difficult to measure accurately. In addition, the category can blur the boundary with self-inflicted deaths.”
Therefore, we are unable to provide the number of drug-related deaths from 2020 onwards.
Please note, deaths in custody for 2023 are currently only published up to September. Deaths in custody for the rest of 2023 will be published on 25 January 2024 within Safety in Custody.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the target number of random mandatory drug tests to be carried out in prisons each month.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Random Mandatory Drug Testing is carried out across the prison estate to meet the annual target. The attached table details the prisons in which random mandatory drug tests were carried out in 2023.
Data for April to December 2023 is not included because it is subject to future publication as part of the 2023-24 Annual Digest.
The target number of rMDT each month is a random sample of 5% of prisoners in prisons with 400 or more prisoners and 10% of prisoners in prisons with fewer than 400 prisoners. These testing levels are set annually, based on the average monthly population in the previous year.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons random mandatory drug tests were carried out in 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Random Mandatory Drug Testing is carried out across the prison estate to meet the annual target. The attached table details the prisons in which random mandatory drug tests were carried out in 2023.
Data for April to December 2023 is not included because it is subject to future publication as part of the 2023-24 Annual Digest.
The target number of rMDT each month is a random sample of 5% of prisoners in prisons with 400 or more prisoners and 10% of prisoners in prisons with fewer than 400 prisoners. These testing levels are set annually, based on the average monthly population in the previous year.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the volume of illegal drugs found in prisons between (a) 2014 and 2018 and (b) 2019 and 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The number of incidents where drugs are found in prisons in England and Wales is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest through the incidents data tool.
a) Between April 2013 and March 2018, there were 44,206 drug find incidents in prisons in England and Wales.
b) Between April 2018 and March 2023, there were 92,619 drug find incidents in prisons in England and Wales.
Data for April to December 2023 is not included because it is subject to future publication as part of the 2023-24 Annual Digest.
It is important to consider with incidents of drug finds in prisons, that an increase in numbers may be as a result of more items being found, rather than more items being present in prisons. Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2023, we have recorded 46,925 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply of drugs and other contraband into prisons.
Our £100m Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs, was completed in March 2022. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2023, we have recorded 46,925 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply of drugs and other contraband into prisons.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 26 June 2023 to Question 190334, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff who have been (i) investigated, (ii) arrested and (iii) charged in relation to the supply of drugs in prisons in each of the last six months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity.
HM Prison & Probation Service has a zero-tolerance policy to drugs conveyed into prisons and take appropriate action to a small number of prison staff who break the rules. Our £100m Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones, is ongoing. This includes increased resource to pursue corruption, as well as established a new ‘Prevent’ function, aimed at building staff resilience against corruption.
Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff investigated from July 23 to Dec 2023 relating to the conveyance of drugs.
Table 1
Month | Cases where Officer Investigated | Cases where Non-Officer Investigated |
TOTAL | 104 | 42 |
Jul | 20 | 8 |
Aug | 19 | 7 |
Sep | 18 | 7 |
Oct | 19 | 7 |
Nov | 23 | 7 |
Dec | 5 | 6 |
Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff arrested from 2019 to Dec 2023 to date relating to the conveyance of drugs.
Table 2
Month | Cases where Officer Arrested | Cases where Non-Officer Arrested |
TOTAL | 12 | 7 |
Jul | 3 | 1 |
Aug | 1 | 1 |
Sep | 2 | 3 |
Oct | 3 | 1 |
Nov | 1 | - |
Dec | 2 | 1 |
Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff charged from 2019 to Dec 2023 to date relating to the conveyance of drugs.
Table 3
Month | Cases where Officer Charged* | Cases where Non-Officer Charged* |
TOTAL | 1 | 2 |
Jul | - | - |
Aug | - | - |
Sep | - | 1 |
Oct | 1 | - |
Nov | - | - |
Dec | - | 1 |
Source: Linkspace Case Management System.
Notes:
Linkspace is the Counter Corruption Unit’s (CCU) Case Management System used to record and track cases linked to corruption.
Data provided by the Counter Corruption (CCU) have the following Caveats applied below;
1) The new Counter Corruption Unit came into being in April 2019, with a new structure and a change to ways of working. During the initial transition period, and prior to the introduction of the new Case Management System, it is possible that not all arrests were being captured.
2) Prior to April 2019, corruption in HMPPS was managed by the Corruption Prevention Unit
(CPU). The CPU was a largely centralised unit focused on sanitising and disseminating all
corruption related intelligence to the Police, with an individual Regional Corruption
Prevention Manager (RCPM) in each geographical region offering advice and support to
prisons in managing corruption, Hence data prior to April 2019 is not available.
3) Data includes Non-Directly Employed Staff (public or private) as they provide a service on behalf of HMPPS.
4) Officers ‘charged*’ is not an assured metric, the data below is likely very underrepresented given it is substantially lower than our CJS outcomes i.e., CJS sentences, court fines, conditional discharges etc over this period.
5) The Investigations data is all operations opened on linkspace that relate to conveyance of drugs, for officers and non-officers. Some investigations are based off limited intelligence and many are unproven.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many random mandatory drug tests were carried out in prisons in each year between 2019 and 2023 inclusive.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data relating to random mandatory drug tests is published online in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The table below provides the total number of tests in each year between 2019 and 2023 inclusive.
Number of random mandatory drug tests in England and Wales April 2018 - March 2023 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| April 2018 - March 2019 | April 2019 - March 2020 | April 2020 - March 2021 | April 2021 - March 2022 | April 2022 - March 2023 |
Number of tests | 54,242 | 54,047 | 4,738 | 12,396 | 41,308 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Contracted MDT testing laboratory |
|
|
| ||
From March 2020 to April 2021 rMDT target levels were suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions placed upon prison regimes. The increase in testing levels during March 2022 to March 2023 is associated with the re-introduction of the target levels and changes in regime following the pandemic.
Data Sources and Quality |
Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level. |
This does not include tests that were spoilt or lost in transit on the way to the laboratory. |
Please see below the links to the annual digests from each year:
2018/2019: HMPPS Annual Digest 2018 to 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2019/2020: HMPPS Annual Digest: April 2019 to March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2020/2021: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2020 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2021/2022: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2021 to March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2022/2023: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Data for April to December 2023 is not included because it is subject to future publication as part of the 2023-24 Annual Digest.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on levels of drug use by prisoners in the prison estate.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data is collected on mandatory drug testing, including Random Mandatory Drug Testing (rMDT), targeted testing, and voluntary drug testing of prisoners. rMDT data is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest.
All random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) was paused in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low levels of testing resumed from September 2020 in line with establishments’ position within the National Framework for managing COVID-19 before formal performance expectations around rMDT volumes were re-instated in April 2022.