§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the estimated cost of introducing drug testing in prisons in 1994–95 and each of the next five years;
(2) in which prisons pilot drug testing schemes will be conducted;
(3) what is the timetable for the introduction of drug testing in prisons.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 24 October 1994]The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides prison officers with the power, where an authorisation is in force for that prison, to require prisoners to produce a urine sample for the purpose of testing for controlled drugs. New prison rules will make it a disciplinary offence for a prisoner to misuse controlled drugs. It will also be an offence for a prisoner to refuse to provide a sample for testing purposes.
1355WI intend to use these powers to introduce a random testing programme covering all inmates. Prisons will be required to test a set proportion of their population each month.
In addition, prison officers will require prisoners to provide a sample for testing at any time if the officer has reasonable suspicion that the prisoner has been misusing drugs.
Persistent offenders will be tested at a much greater frequency than the general prison population.
Eight prison establishments have been chosen for the initial phase of the drug testing programme. These are Bristol, Holloway, Lindholm, Pentonville, Wakefield and Wayland prisons, and HMYOURC Feltham and HMP/YOI Stoke Heath.
The initial phase will commence once the necessary legislation is in place early next year. It is our intention that the drug testing programme will then be developed quickly across the remaining prison establishments.
Initial estimates of the costs of the first phase are approximately £200,000 in 1994–95 and, in the light of the pilot schemes, the estimate will be revised for the next five years.
§ Mr. EasthamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has on the proportion of prisoners who are drug addicts using shared injection equipment; and if prison management will provide(a) needles or(b) bleach for cleaning needles.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 1 November 1994]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Ken Eastham dated 3 November 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office to reply to your recent Question on the proportion of prisoners who are drug addicts using shared injection equipment and the provision of needles and bleach in prisons.The Prison Service views, as a top priority, the reduction of drug misuse in the English and Welsh prisons. There is no research on the proportion of prisoners who are drug addicts and use shared drug injecting equipment.The policy is that neither needles or bleach are provided in prisons.