Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for paying for prisoners with addictions released on the early release scheme to continue their recovery in alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government inherited prisons days from collapse and had to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. SDS40 is a temporary measure to provide relief to the system, and following the Independent Sentencing Review, we have now introduced the Sentencing Bill to Parliament. This will introduce a new Progression Model, as a key part of delivering a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis.
We know that continued engagement with drug and alcohol treatment both within and beyond custody is vital to reduce reoffending. It is crucial that those released early can access support effectively within the community, especially as the first few weeks of release are high-risk for relapse, overdose and reoffending.
Responsibility for the funding and commissioning of substance misuse treatment lies with the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS Wales. The Ministry of Justice works very closely with health partners to ensure accessible pathways for offenders which meet their needs, including Residential Rehabilitation which can be an effective treatment option for some. This includes recruiting Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators nationwide, who strengthen links between prisons, treatment providers and probation, alongside secure laptops across prisons to enable prisoners to virtually meet with community treatment providers prior to their release. We have also established the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Expert Panel, chaired by Lord Timpson, which brings together leading experts to identify opportunities to strengthen the Ministry of Justice’s approach.
The latest data from August 2025 shows that 54% of adults released with an ongoing substance misuse need engaged in treatment within 3 weeks of release, an increase from 38% in April 2021.
Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the voluntary sector about how they might assist with the roll-out of the alcohol, abstinence and monitoring requirement across England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
The legislation required to introduce alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirements in England and Wales is still subject to approval by Parliament. As yet, we have not had any discussions with the voluntary sector about how it could assist. More widely, we are engaged in ongoing dialogue with the voluntary sector around support for offenders with addiction issues.
Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to prohibit powdered and vaporised alcohol in prisons.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
All forms of alcohol are prohibited within prisons. Unauthorised possession of any such item is a disciplinary offence which can result in additional days in prison.
It is a criminal offence under the Prison Act to convey alcohol into or out of a prison or to pass it to a prisoner.
Asked by: Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions there have been for alcohol sales to those under the age of 18 since the new maximum fine for the offence was introduced; how many such prosecutions resulted in the maximum fine being applied; and how many prosecutions in the same period resulted in fines exceeding the previous maximum.
Answered by Lord Faulks
Fines imposed in individual cases are entirely a matter for the independent courts within the limits set by Parliament and following any relevant sentencing guidelines. The law requires that the amount of any fine must reflect both the seriousness of the offence and the known financial circumstances of the offender.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. Over recent years we have overseen improvements to the collection of financial penalties. There was a total of £290m collected against fines and related impositions in 2013/14 which was a record high.
In April 2012 the Government raised the maximum fine for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 from £10,000 to £20,000 in cases where alcohol has been sold twice within a period of three months from the same premises.
The number of defendants proceeded against for offences involving sale of alcohol to those under the age of 18 in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the table attached.
In this time-period, no offender has been sentenced at any court in England and Wales, to the maximum penalty for the offences of persistently selling alcohol to children; of selling alcohol to a person aged under 18 years, or of allowing the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years.
Between April 2012 and December 2013 no offender has received a fine above the previous maximum for the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children.
Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in Spring 2015.