§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on providing passive drug dogs in prisons; and what is the cost of keeping each dog. [69635]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe use of passive drug dogs is an important element in the Prison Service's strategy for tackling the supply of illegal drugs into prisons. There are currently 34 passive drug dogs across the service, 95W with around 50 additional dogs planned over the next three years. The annual cost of keeping each dog is approximately £2,087.