Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the total number of drug related incidents in (a) HMP Maidstone, (b) HMP Huntercombe and (c) HMP Morton Hall in each of the last five years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
To provide data on prisoners remaining in custody beyond their sentence date would require a search of individual records, which could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
Information on interpretation and translation costs covering the time period specified is not available. Expenditure interpretation and translation in the current financial year to date is shown in the table below. As both types of expenditure are accounted for under the same budget item, it is not possible to provide a further breakdown.
Establishment | Interpretation and translation costs, Apr-Sept 2024 (£) |
HMP Maidstone | 41,230.97 |
HMP Huntercombe | 1,890.87 |
HMP Morton Hall | 8,575.63 |
“Drug-related incident” is not a discrete category within the data collected. A variety of different types of incidents could potentially be drug related. It would therefore be necessary to make a detailed search of individual records to establish which incidents could be categorised in that way. This could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
The latest published breakdown of offences for which prisoners at the three establishments have been imprisoned can be found via the following link (under the ‘PT’ tab): Prison_Population_data_tool_2024-09-30.xlsx.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2024 to Question 8297 on Prisons: Food and Prescription Drugs, what steps he is taking to monitor the adequacy of (a) suicide prevention provision, (b) palliative care, (c) medical emergency care and (d) mental health care in prisons; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of those steps.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, via the regional health and justice teams, has regular meetings with prison healthcare providers to ensure the quality of the services that are provided. These are also supplemented with local partnership boards where governors, commissioners, and providers meet to discuss any issues, risks, and areas of concern. This could include the number of prisoners who are currently under an Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork approach where there is a risk of self-harm, and the overall healthcare provision, including any issues around enablement.
The Dying Well in Custody Framework and supporting self-assessment framework describes a set of national standards for local adoption, and provides a tool for a local multi-disciplinary approach to providing agreed standards of palliative and end of life care to people in prison.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the findings or results of Dame Carol Black’s recent work on drugs in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to publish Dame Carol Black’s recent work on drug treatment in prisons.
Following Professor Dame Carol Black’s 2021 review of drug misuse and treatment in the community, Dame Carol was asked to assess the scope, quality, and effectiveness of treatment and recovery provision in prisons in England, and the support provided by the HM Prison and Probation Service regime. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, the Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, and the Chief Executive of NHS England have received Dame Carol’s completed report.
The Government is considering the implications of the report’s findings across departments and agencies, ensuring that improved drug treatment for prisoners is part of the delivery of our Health and Safer Streets Missions.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many confiscations of Class A drugs took place in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Data on the number of incidents where Class A drugs were found in prisons in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last three years are provided in the attached table.
The availability of drugs in prison is yet another sign of the prisons crisis the new Government inherited. We are bringing the crisis under control and ensuring that a range of physical security countermeasures are used to reduce the conveyance of illicit items into prisons, including X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and drug trace detection equipment.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prisoners have required medical attention for (a) suspected overdoses and (b) drug-related ill health in each quarter of each of the last ten years.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Department does not hold information on the number of prisoners requiring medical attention for suspected overdoses and drug related ill health.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that prisoners are (a) being routinely provided with meals that meet the recommended daily allowance calorie intake and (b) receiving prescribed medication on time.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
All establishments are required to ensure prisoners receive three nutritionally balanced meals a day as set out in PSI 44/2010 Catering - Meals for Prisoners: Prisoner meals: PSI 44/2010 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). These must meet the religious, cultural, and medical needs of all prisoners.
All health treatment in custody is the responsibility of NHS England and NHS Wales. NHS services are commissioned on the basis of equivalence with those received in the community by the general public. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is committed to ensuring that people in prison are able to access NHS commissioned services in custody in a timely manner. Should any issues arise, established governance arrangements provide the means for Governors, NHS Health and Justice Commissioners (England) or Local Health Boards (Wales) and providers to address concerns about local healthcare delivery.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help ensure the (a) rehabilitation and (b) education of offenders who took part in violent disorder during summer 2024.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
This Government is committed to reducing reoffending by giving offenders leaving prison the tools to rehabilitate and move away from crime.
Offenders involved in this summer’s violent disorder and given prison sentences will receive an education assessment on reception to prison. Prison staff and probation practitioners will work to create a sentence plan to ensure the right support is on offer during their time in prison and on release.
As well as the opportunity to improve English and mathematics (if needed) and to undertake vocational training, HMPPS offer a range of behavioural programmes and other interventions that may be considered for offenders convicted of violent offences as part of this summer's disorder. These include programmes to improve relationships, thinking skills and healthy identities. Eligibility is determined based on assessed risk and need.
Where individuals involved in this summer’s disorder have substance misuse issues we will work to tackle these To achieve this, 80 prisons have an Incentivised Substance-Free Living unit, where prisoners are regularly tested and receive incentives, and we have dedicated staff to tackle drugs in custody and support continuity of care. In the community we are diverting offenders into treatment at the earliest opportunity. This includes more offenders sentenced to Drug Rehabilitation Requirements, a form of community sentence which includes a requirement to engage in treatment
Asked by: Lord Bradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015 to enable the electronic transfer of prescriptions between prisons and community pharmacies.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is considering extending the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) to Detained Estate health services in England, and the Department is engaging with them on this work.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle physical violence between prisoners in prisons.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Reducing violence in prisons remains a key priority. We are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible and are continuing our efforts to address the levels of violence in prisons.
We have completed our landmark £100 million Security Investment Programme to clamp down on illicit items such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons – that drive prison violence and undermine safety.
To support those at raised risk of being violent, we have introduced the Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP), a case management approach that is centred around the individual and addressing the underlying causes of their violence, including specific risk factors and needs, to help them manage and move away from violent behaviours.
To ensure our staff are equipped with the right tools to protect themselves and prisoners from serious assaults, we have completed the roll out of PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – for use by prison officers in the adult male estate alongside SPEAR, a personal safety training package.
We are continuing with plans for a phased removal of wet-shave razors in up to 30 prisons in the adult male estate in 2024/25.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to provide safe conditions for prisoners.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Making prisons safe remains a key priority. We are working hard to reduce violence and self-harm and have a range of measures in place to address these safety issues.
We have completed our landmark £100 million Security Investment Programme to clamp down on illicit items such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons – that drive prison violence and undermine safety.
To ensure our staff are equipped with the right tools to protect themselves and prisoners from serious assaults, we have completed the roll out of PAVA – a synthetic pepper spray – for use by prison officers in the adult male estate alongside SPEAR, a personal safety training package.
We recognise that rates of self-harm across the estate are high, and we are taking action to address this. We provide individualised support through our case management process for people identified as at risk of suicide and self-harm.
We fund Samaritans through a £2 million grant (provided up until March 2025). This is primarily for the delivery of the Listener scheme in over 100 prisons; In 2023 there were over 1,300 prisoners volunteering as Listeners who provided over 14,000 hours of emotional support to other prisoners.