HC Deb 05 November 1996 vol 284 cc430-1W
Mr. George Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list(a) the overall cost to the Prison Service of introducing mandatory drug testing including capital investment involved in building appropriate facilities and (b) the cost to the Prison Service per drug test, indicating (a) Prison Service expenditure and (b) costs billed to non-Prison Service contractors, excluding capital investment involved in building appropriate facilities. [1500]

Miss Widdecombe

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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 5 November 1996: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the costs of introducing mandatory drug testing and of the tests themselves. The total cost of introducing mandatory drug testing was £940,840. The cost of a mandatory drug test is £45.32. More detail is given in the attached tables.

Introducing mandatory drug testing
£
Building work and equipment1 266,000
First phase staffing costs 36,000
Staff training 551,000
Headquarters project staffing and expenses 87,840
Total 940,840
1This represents centrally allocated funds. In a few cases where only minor alterations were necessary or the work was done as part of a larger building project, the costs were borne by individual establishments. These costs could only be calculated at disproportionate expense.
Cost of a mandatory drug test
£
Equipment 1.02
Courier 0.99
Laboratory Analysis1 2.37
Staff costs 40.94
Total 45.32
1This is for the initial screen test which all samples undergo. 8.6 per cent. of samples undergo a further, confirmatory test at a cost of £28.82.

Mr. Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the recommendations in the report of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on "Drug Misusers and the Prison System—An Integrated Approach". [1755]

Miss Widdecombe

We expect to do so soon.