§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost per prisoner of mandatory drug testing; and what impact the programme has had on expenditure on the drug rehabilitation service. [52637]
§ Mr. George HowarthIn 1997–98, approximately £1.5 million was spent on the processing of mandatory drug tests (MDTs). The precise staffing costs involved in the taking of samples for analysis could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, but we estimate that around £4.5 million is spent annually on this. Based on an average prisoner population through the year of 62,000, the average cost per prisoner of mandatory drug testing through the 1997–98 year is therefore around £96.
The cost of funding the mandatory drug testing programme has had no impact on expenditure on the drug rehabilitation service. While both are important parts of the overall Prison Service Drug Strategy, the costs of MDT and of the provision of treatment services have been met through separate budgeting arrangements.