To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to prevent drug and alcohol misuse among those entering women's prisons.

The Government are fully committed to addressing women's offending—both for their own good and that of the public. Many women offenders who end up in prison have highly complex needs and too many go through a revolving door of reoffending. We must ensure that women who offend are successfully rehabilitated, and that we take an approach to women in the criminal justice system that recognises their different and often complex needs, including developing responses to their substance misuse problems. The Ministry of Justice is working with the Department of Health to:

pilot Drug Recovery Wings for short-sentenced, drug-dependent prisoners with continuity of treatment between prison and the community, including the provision of three such wings in women's prisons (HMPs New Hall, Askham Grange and Styal) from April 2012; explore and test options for intensive community-based treatment alternatives to custody for offenders with alcohol or drug dependency, or mental health issues, with four women-only development sites services in Wirral, Bristol, Birmingham and Tyneside; design and implement eight payment by results drug and alcohol recovery pilots where one of the outcomes to be incentivised is reduced reoffending; and develop and, subject to business case approval, roll out youth and adult liaison and diversion services at police custody and courts by 2014, for offenders with a range of vulnerabilities, including substance misuse problems.

In addition, to help women in prison to address their drug or alcohol problem, the Department of Health is funding the re-commissioning of drug and alcohol treatment in all establishments.