§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is satisfied with the level of drugs being administered in Her Majesty's prisons;
(2) if he is satisfied with the level of drugs being administered in Her Majesty's prison, Gartree.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The prescription of a medicine for a prisoner is a matter for the professional judgment of the responsible prison medical officer. The prison medical service has complete clinical freedom and the same ethical standards as doctors practising elsewhere.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the doses of major 343W tranquillisers and psycho-active drugs, such as phenothiazines, promazines and chlor-promazines, which have been administered to prisoners during each six-month period from 1 January 1980.
§ Mr. Mayhew:Information is not collected in the form requested, but the following table lists the number of doses of psychotropic drugs—that is anti-depressants, sedatives and tranquillisers—dispensed in all prison department establishments during each six-month period from 1 January 1980.
Period Number of doses January-June 1980 641,598 July-December 1980 600,271 January-June 1981 583,941 July-December 1981 599,646 January-June 1982 544,667 The classification "psychotropic drugs" embraces all drugs included in MIMS—Monthly Index of Medical Specialities—categories 3C and 3D.
§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the doses of major tranquillisers and psycho-active drugs, such as phenothiazines, promazines and chlor-promazines, which have been administered to prisoners in Her Majesty's prison, Gartree, during each six-month period from 1 January 1980.
§ Mr. Mayhew:The medical services at Her Majesty's prison Gartree are provided largely by a single medical officer and we are not prepared to publish information about an individual doctor's prescribing practice.