§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons his Department does not collect the totals of neuroleptic drugs used in prisons; and if he will make a statement. [52241]
§ Ms QuinPharmaceuticals are purchased locally and records about drugs prescribed are also kept within Prison Service establishments using a variety of systems. This makes it difficult to aggregate the information about total usage of neuroleptic or other drugs in a meaningful way.
The Prison Service, in deciding on the range of management information about health care activity that is collected from prisons, tries to strike a balance between the costs involved, including the administrative burden on prison staff, and the possible benefits. However, increasing use of information technology offers the opportunity to broaden the range of statistics that can be readily available and the matter is kept under review.