Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he made of the effectiveness of the abstinence-only approaches to drug treatment services in prisons.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning substance misuse services in English prisons, and we work closely with them to ensure that all those who need drug treatment in prison have access to a full range of treatment options to support their recovery. That is why we are investing up to £120m to tackle drug misuse and support more offenders into treatment.

Different prisoners will benefit from different forms of treatment, and the patient and their clinician will decide what is right for them, in line with clinical guidelines. Opioid substitution treatment, such as methadone, can be an important part of recovery for some offenders – but when they are ready to stop, it is important we put appropriate support in place. We are rolling out up to 18 new, abstinence-only Drug Recovery Wings, to provide a supportive environment for prisoners who are ready for abstinence-based treatment. These wings are a new model of support, and we will evaluate their effectiveness.

Alongside this, we are increasing the number of Incentivised Substance Free Living Wings to up to 100, which will continue to support prisoners in all forms of treatment for any substance.