HC Deb 28 March 2000 vol 347 c86W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those prisons which he has assessed as being free from the use of illegal drugs. [115944]

Mr. Boateng

Figures from the random mandatory drug testing programme provide the best available measure of the levels of drug misuse across establishments, and over time. The table lists the establishments which have consistently produced rates of positive random drug tests of less than 5 per cent, during the last two years:

Prisons producing rates of positive random drug tests of less than 5 per cent, during the last two years

  • Establishments:
  • Albany
  • Blantyre House
  • Down view
  • East Sutton Park
  • Haslar
  • Parkhurst
  • Rochester
  • Wakefield
  • Werrington
  • Whatton

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been identified as heroin users as a result of random drug testing in each of the last five years. [115947]

Mr. Boateng

The table shows the number of samples which have tested positive for opiates under the random mandatory drug testing programme in each of the last four years during which the programme has been running nationally.

Year Number of samples testing positive for opiates
1996–97 3,096
1997–98 2,720
1998–99 2,860
1999–20001 1,831
1 Year to date figure for April—December 1999