§ Mr. MossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visitors to prisons in Northern Ireland were found to be in possession of illegal drugs in each of the last five years; and how many were referred to the police. [72913]
§ Mr. IngramVisitors can be refused access to prisons because of suspected possession of drugs. The information required is therefore not available in the exact format requested. The table shows the number refused access on suspicion of possession and those subsequently referred to the police. Central monitoring commenced on 1 April 1996.
Financial year Visitors suspected of possession Visitors referred to police 1996–97 18 10 1997–98 30 20 1998–991 7 5 1to 31 December 1998