Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Drug Use in Prisons

Tuesday 8 December 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Justice colleagues work closely with Health partners on a national partnership agreement for prison healthcare.
  • The national prison drug strategy focuses on restricting supply, reducing demand, and helping recovery from drugs and substance misuse.
  • The Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill, supported by the Government, is scheduled for consideration on Report and Third Reading on 22 January.
  • The Government is implementing earlier intervention by probation officers and rolling out the Reconnect service before release to support rehabilitation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Daniel Poulter Con
Justice & Courts NHS
Context

The questioner is concerned about the prevalence of drug use among inmates, which poses a significant challenge for prison management.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to reduce drug dependency in prisons. The Minister should focus on tackling drugs in prison by restricting supply, reducing demand and helping people build recovery from drugs and substance misuse.

Answer from Lucy Frazer

Justice colleagues work closely with Health partners on a national partnership agreement for prison healthcare. A national prison drug strategy was published, focusing on restricting supply, reducing demand and helping recovery from drugs and substance misuse.

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Q2 David Simmonds Con Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Justice & Courts
Context

The Lord Chancellor's Department supports the Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill to tackle illicit substance misuse in prisons.

Question

Will my hon. and learned Friend reaffirm support for the Prisons (Substance Testing) Bill, led by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham, and give an indication of the timescale according to which we might expect the legislation to appear?

Answer from Lucy Frazer

We wholly support the Bill introduced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham, scheduled for consideration on Report and Third Reading on 22 January. Should it receive Royal Assent, we will implement provisions at the earliest opportunity.

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Q3 Daniel Poulter Con
Justice & Courts NHS
Context

The Minister is aware that adequate support for individuals with substance dependency issues upon their release from prison is crucial to breaking the cycle of reoffending.

Question

As the Minister will be aware, it is equally as important to ensure that there is proper rehabilitation and support on substance dependency when people are released from prison. What can she do to reassure me that the Government are taking this issue seriously and will put in place better arrangements to support substance misusers with dependency issues once they are released from prison?

Answer from Lucy Frazer

We are doing several things, including earlier intervention by probation officers before release and rolling out the Reconnect service that links prison healthcare with community healthcare.

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