§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of women who entered prison as non-users of illegal drugs and left as users in each of the last three years. [53107]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe report of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs published in 1996 found that, although some misusers take drugs for the first time inside prison, the numbers leaving prison who misuse drugs is lower than the numbers entering.
No study has been conducted specifically concerning women prisoners.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the support infrastructure in women's prisons in cases where probation departments have been reduced. [53106]
§ Ms QuinIt is for individual governors to decide on the appropriate level of provision to meet the needs of the establishment and to enter into a contract with the local probation service to provide the necessary staff. Probation departments form one part of a multi-disciplinary team, and the needs of prisoners and the development of the regime will be the governor's main consideration in making any changes in the team. Over the last two years, most women's prisons have in fact increased their probation departments.
The Prisons and Probation review is looking at ways of improving working and contact between the two services, and the Prison Service's Assistant Director for Women is responsible for developing women's regimes.