§ 12. Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley)What representations he has received relating to the testing of prisoners for drug use. [40274]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. George Howarth)We have received representations from hon. Members and others. As part of our continuing commitment to tackling the problem of drugs in prison, I can announce that a revised Prison Service drug strategy will be published tomorrow, and I shall place a copy in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mr. EvansI am grateful for that response, and I hope that, as part of the new package, some of the measures that I shall suggest will be considered. Will the Minister confirm that the drugs industry is booming in British prisons, and that prisoners find it as easy to get drugs in prison as they do outside? Will he consider the increased use of sniffer dogs in all our prisons, more random testing of more prisoners, including at weekends, and the use of sniffer dogs whenever visitors come into prisons? The hon. Gentleman would no doubt agree that a great quantity of drugs is getting into our prisons via visitors. If there is any suspicion, visitors should be searched.
§ Mr. HowarthIt would be premature to say what will be in the new strategy to be published tomorrow. The hon. Gentleman has touched on several matters that we need to address and that the previous Government addressed—first, reducing the supply of drugs in prisons; secondly, by various means, reducing the demand for drugs; and, finally, reducing the damage to health that often accompanies drug abuse, whether in prisons or elsewhere. Too many drugs are getting into prisons and, through such a strategy and a new focus, we hope to start tackling the problem, which we acknowledge is extremely serious.
§ Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West)Does my hon. Friend recall, under the previous Labour Government, two cases in the county of Gwent where defendants who were found guilty of serious repeat offences argued that they should not be sent to prison because, the previous time they were in prison, they became addicted to heroin? They succeeded in avoiding prison sentences because the Prison Service could not provide a prison that was free of illegal drug use. That is scandalous. What is the Government's target percentage of prisons that will be free of illegal drug use by the end of this Labour Government's first term of office?
§ Mr. HowarthMy hon. Friend should not always accept a defence plea as justification for what did or did not happen during a prison sentence. Of course there are problems of drugs in our prisons; I say that quite sincerely. It happened under the previous Government and it is happening under this Government. We have examined the problems closely and seriously, and there is no evidence to support my hon. Friend's contention that a shift takes place from cannabis smoking to taking heroin. He may have heard some anecdotal evidence to support his contention, but the statistics do not show that that is happening.
§ Mr. Alan Clark (Kensington and Chelsea)Does the Minister agree that the one thing of which his Department is terrified is a prison riot, and that the Department will go to any lengths to avoid one? The surest way of causing a riot is to eliminate and ban drugs, and the easiest way to prevent one is to keep prisoners in an amiable—relatively speaking—and docile condition by allowing the free circulation of narcotics in prison. The Minister may well be serious and sincere in his contention that he is trying to wage a war on drugs in prisons, but, if he looks more closely at the Prison Service, he will find that in many institutions their circulation is encouraged.
§ Mr. HowarthIf the right hon. Gentleman has any evidence to support that contention, I should be grateful if he would give it to me. I am not aware of any prison governor or prison institution that actively encourages drug taking in prisons. The right hon. Gentleman, as a former Minister, should have more sense than to peddle such stupid arguments in the House of Commons. It is simply not true, and it is about time that, at his advanced age, he grew up.
§ Ms Beverley Hughes (Stretford and Urmston)Although compulsory testing is important in this battle, if we are to break the obvious and very strong link between drugs and crime, it is equally important that treatment be made available. Can my hon. Friend assure me that adequate treatment will be available in prisons for those prisoners who are found to be addicted to or abusing drugs?
§ Mr. HowarthYes; I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. More than 60 treatment programmes already exist in our prisons, ranging from detoxification to various kinds of counselling. We want to build on those programmes. For instance, we want to introduce voluntary testing units to as many prisons as possible. Through measures in the Crime and Disorder Bill, such as testing and treatment orders, we hope to divert some addicts, in suitable cases, out of the prison system altogether.
§ Mr. Humfrey Malins (Woking)The Minister will clearly agree that it is both desirable and essential to stamp out completely the use of illegal drugs in prisons, but does he believe that it is possible?
§ Mr. HowarthIt is certainly an aim to which we would all, I hope, subscribe. I want the strategy that we shall announce tomorrow to make it possible to reduce those numbers. I do not know whether any prison system in the world could claim to be entirely drug-free. If there is one—and it offers the prospect of a decent regime—I would be more than happy to consider it.