Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle illicit trade in prescription tranquilisers in prisons.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deploys a comprehensive range of measures to reduce the availability of drugs in prisons, including targeted searching, drug education, and other interventions. Prisoners are also subject to random and targeted mandatory drug tests, which include a test for the misuse of benzodiazepines. Prisoners found with prohibited items face swift and robust punishment. This can include having days added to their custody, being transferred to a different prison and losing privileges.

NOMS is not complacent about the potential misuse of prescription medication in prisons and prison governors work closely with healthcare providers to ensure that relevant information is shared and that medication is safely and appropriately administered.

The published National Partnership Agreement between NOMS, NHS England and Public Health England (www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/about/noms/work-with-partners/national-partnership-agreement-commissioning-delivery-healthcare-prisons2013.pdf) has a commitment to review the level and choice of prescription medications within prisons and for the organisations to work together with professional bodies to promote changes in prescribing practice and tackle abuse of medications.