HC Deb 14 February 2003 vol 400 cc109-10W
Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 28 January 2003,Official Report, columns 757–59W, what assessment he has made of (a) the adequacy of closed circuit television provision in visits areas of prisons and (b) their success in obstructing smuggling of drugs into prisons by visitors. [97995]

Hilary Benn

No specific research has been conducted by the Prison Service on the effectiveness of closed circuit television (CCTV). A CCTV good practice guide, drawing on the wider experience within the criminal justice system, has however been issued to prisons, against which individual establishments must review their procedures.

Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 28 January 2003,Official Report,columns 757–59W. what importance he attaches to each of the routes he has identified by which drugs enter prisons. [97996]

Hilary Benn

Drug smuggling is by nature a covert activity. It is extremely difficult to quantify the frequency with which different routes are used. Routes vary depending on the nature of the individuals or prisons concerned. The Prison Service, however, believes that one of the most frequent routes is through social visits.

Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 28 January 2003,Official Report, columns 757–59W, which measures to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons aim to disrupt attempts to smuggle drugs in by mail. [97997]

Hilary Benn

It would not be appropriate to disclose all the precise security measures in place to disrupt attempts to smuggle drugs. All social mail is opened and searched before being sent to the prisoner. X-ray machines and active drug dogs may be used in support of that process.

Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 28 January 003,Official Report, column 757–59W, by what means he will assess the effectiveness of measures to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons. [97998]

Hilary Benn

Random mandatory drug testing (MDT) provides the best available measure of the effectiveness of policies to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons. Since the introduction of MDT the figure has reduced from 24.4 per cent. in 1996–97 to 11.6 per cent. in 2001–02. A wide-ranging programme of research is also under way to assess the effectiveness of supply reduction measures.

Mr. Norman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answers of 28 January 2003,Official Report, column 757–59W, how many attempts have been made to smuggle drugs into prisons by means of perimeter breach in the last year for which figures are available. [97999]

Hilary Benn

Any attempts to smuggle drugs into prisons are, by nature, covert activities which are extremely difficult to quantify. No such records are kept. Prisons take into account the geography of each site and adopt appropriate security measures to minimise the risk of smuggling via this route.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prison inmates in Britain are using drugs on a regular basis. [97595]

Hilary Benn

[holding answer 12 February 2003]: The random mandatory drug testing (MDT) programme represents the best available measure of overall drug misuse in prisons in England and Wales. The percentage figure for prisoners who tested positive in 2001–02 was 11.6 per cent.