§ 23. Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement concerning the smuggling of contraband into Her Majesty's prisons in Northern Ireland and the number of prosecutions which have taken place for such offences since 1968.
§ Mr. ConcannonOver recent months there has been an increase in the number of attempts made by visitors to smuggle prohibited articles into prisons in Northern Ireland. In response, security searches of visitors and parcels intended for prisoners have been intensified.
Records of prosecutions for the offence of conveying prohibited articles into prisons are not available for every year since 1968, but there have been 30 such prosecutions since 1973.
In addition to the occasions following which prosecutions took place, there have been other cases where a person who is detected smuggling contraband is warned, and may not be allowed to carry out the visit.