Alan Duncan

I know that the Government have done some work on this, but is there not a serious problem in that some offenders go into prison clean of drugs, and then come out addicted? What is the Government's estimate of the number of prisoners who have acquired or intensified their drug habit while in prison?

— from debate entitled “Drug Misuse (Prisons)”

The three speeches/headings immediately before

  1. 1 earlier: Jack Straw

    On the latter point, there has been absolutely no reduction in prison officer numbers. Staffing in prisons has increased commensurately with the increase in prison numbers, and spending has risen slightly above the increase in prison numbers.

    As for the searching of visitors, the rules are very clear. I have made it absolutely clear to the prison service that I expect those rules, and tough sanctions on visitors, to be followed through.

  2. 2 earlier: Lindsay Hoyle

    First, the problem is that people who are bringing in the drugs are visitors and that we are not effective in punishing those who are carrying the drugs. In fact, if they refuse the search we let them go rather than dealing with the importation of drugs into prisons. Secondly—this point is very important for my right hon. Friend—the reduction in prison officer numbers and the increase in prisoner numbers make it even harder to try to control prisons, such as Garth and Wymott prisons in my constituency.

  3. 3 earlier: Jack Straw

    Generalisation like that belies the fact that it is very difficult to get drugs into prison and that staff do a huge amount of work to ensure that drugs are not there. It is not possible to answer the point that my hon. Friend puts to me, which is essentially a negative, but what I can say is that, as I have told the House, the results of mandatory drug tests show that there has been a 68 per cent. decrease of the use of drugs in prison, which is something for which we should thank the National Offender Management Service.

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