§ Sir Norman FowlerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to prevent illegal drugs getting into prison; and if he will make a statement. [48199]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Prison Service has in place as part of its drug strategy robust measures aimed at preventing the entry of drugs into prisons. Measures include: searching of visitors and of prisoners following visits; use of closed circuit television in visits areas; and perimeter searching. Many establishments use drug dogs, which are an effective means of deterring visitors who may attempt to smuggle drugs. Prisoners found guilty of drug smuggling are liable to be placed on closed visits, while visitors may be arrested and denied future visits if found in possession of drugs.
§ Sir Norman FowlerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners who are using illegal drugs; and if he will make a statement. [48202]
§ Mr. George HowarthOur best estimate of the numbers of prisoners using illegal drugs derives from the results of random mandatory drug testing (MDT). However, random testing involves the testing of only a proportion of a prison's population each month. For this and a number of other reasons, MDT results cannot be a complete measure of the prevalence of drug misuse in prisons. In 1997/98, 20.8 per cent. of random MDT samples were positive for drugs.