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: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help ensure the rehabilitation of offenders with a history of substance abuse.
Answered by Edward Argar
We know that substance misuse drives reoffending, and are committed to supporting offenders to overcome addictions and turn their lives around. Our landmark Drugs Strategy sets out the ambitious cross-government 10-year plan to address illegal drug use, underpinned by record additional investment – as part of which, the Ministry of Justice is supporting offenders at every stage of the criminal justice system into recovery.
In prison we have dramatically increased the number of incentivised substance-free living (ISFL) units, where prisoners commit to living drug-free with incentives and regular testing. Over 70 prisons now have an ISFL, up from 25 in summer 2022. To ensure prison leavers maintain their progress in treatment, we have recruited Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators nationwide to improve links between prison and community treatment services.
We are also supporting the rehabilitation of offenders with substance misuse needs in the community. We have increased probation’s drug testing capacity and we are piloting Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), to divert offenders with substance misuse and complex needs away from short custodial sentences into enhanced community-based sentences. ISCs aim to tackle the root cause of offending behaviour through robust supervision and interventions, frequent and random drug testing, and regular reviews with a single judge.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) prevent and (b) reduce rates of homelessness among people with (i) long-term drug addictions, (ii) long-term serious mental health issues and (iii) learning disabilities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
My department continues to work closely with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), the NHS and public health bodies to improve health and housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. In partnership with OHID, we are providing up to £186.5 million over three years (from 2022-25) for the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant to support local areas to implement evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and wrap around support for people sleeping rough or at risk of sleeping rough. We are also providing up to £53 million to fund housing support interventions which will improve the recovery outcomes for people in drug and alcohol treatment with a housing need.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has set targets for the (a) reduction of (i) drug and (ii) alcohol use and (b) number of people receiving treatment for related addictions.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government published a 10-year drug strategy in December 2021 which sets out three core priorities: cutting off drug supply, creating a world class treatment and recovery system, and achieving a generational shift in demand for drugs. The strategy aims to reduce crime, drug related deaths, harm, and overall drug use and is backed by significant new investment. The Government has invested an additional £780 million in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, of which £532 million is dedicated to rebuilding local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. The drug strategy includes a specific target of getting 54,500 more people in drug and alcohol treatment between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Success is being measured against a system of local and national outcomes frameworks. More information on the strategy is available at the following link:
Delivery of the drugs strategy is a cross-government priority; the Joint Combatting Drugs Unit (JCDU) is a cross-Government team, based in the Home Office, that was set up to coordinate the drug strategy delivery across all relevant Government departments. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the JCDU to work to achieve the aims of the drug strategy.
No specific targets have been set for the reduction of alcohol use in England; however, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines recommends that adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. According to the 2021 Health Survey for England, around 80% of adults in England drink within these guidelines. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is investing £27 million to establish alcohol care teams in the 25% of acute hospitals in England with the greatest need. These specialist teams identify alcohol dependent patients admitted to hospital for any reason, start them on specialist treatment as inpatients, and facilitate them into community-based substance misuse treatment upon discharge.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support people with (a) drug and (b) alcohol addictions.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government published a 10-year drug strategy in December 2021 which sets out three core priorities: cutting off drug supply, creating a world class treatment and recovery system, and achieving a generational shift in demand for drugs. The strategy aims to reduce crime, drug related deaths, harm, and overall drug use and is backed by significant new investment. The Government has invested an additional £780 million in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, of which £532 million is dedicated to rebuilding local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. The drug strategy includes a specific target of getting 54,500 more people in drug and alcohol treatment between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Success is being measured against a system of local and national outcomes frameworks. More information on the strategy is available at the following link:
Delivery of the drugs strategy is a cross-government priority; the Joint Combatting Drugs Unit (JCDU) is a cross-Government team, based in the Home Office, that was set up to coordinate the drug strategy delivery across all relevant Government departments. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the JCDU to work to achieve the aims of the drug strategy.
No specific targets have been set for the reduction of alcohol use in England; however, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines recommends that adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. According to the 2021 Health Survey for England, around 80% of adults in England drink within these guidelines. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is investing £27 million to establish alcohol care teams in the 25% of acute hospitals in England with the greatest need. These specialist teams identify alcohol dependent patients admitted to hospital for any reason, start them on specialist treatment as inpatients, and facilitate them into community-based substance misuse treatment upon discharge.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the contribution of (a) the South Community Recovery Network in Glasgow and (b) other recovery communities to reducing crime locally.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
No assessment has been made. Recovery from addictions in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government where powers are devolved for healthcare.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support prisoners reintegrate into society.
Answered by Damian Hinds
Effective resettlement of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce re-offending. This includes making sure someone has a home, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits.
We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. The proportion of prisoners released from custody employed at six months rose by almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022. That is an increase of nine percentage points, from 14% to 23%.
We also know that supporting prisoners to tackle addictions is important to reduce reoffending. MoJ is investing up to £120m to support more offenders into treatment – including increasing the number of Incentivised Substance Free Living units to up to 100, and establishing up to 18 new, abstinence-only Drug Recovery Wings.
Our temporary accommodation service is designed to ensure that prison leavers at risk of homelessness have a stable base on release, improving their opportunities for employment.
The introduction of Resettlement Passports will bring together the key information and services that are needed to resettle in the community, such as bank accounts, CVs and identity documents to prove the right to work and rent.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of classifying (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction under the Mental Health Act 1983 for the treatment of people who suffer from addiction to those substances.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No specific assessment has been made and no discussions have taken place. Drug and alcohol addictions are not regarded as mental disorders for the purposes of the Mental Health Act. We are improving treatment and recovery for people with drug and alcohol misuse conditions through the Government’s Ten-Year Drugs Strategy.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on investing in innovative research and treatment as part of a holistic approach to the treatment of drug addiction since the publication of Dame Carol Black's Review of Drugs.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
On 6 December 2021, the Government published a long-term drugs strategy, ‘From harm to hope’, in response to Dame Carol Black’s review. The strategy accepts all of the review’s recommendations, including improving research. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has identified a number of research projects which are being commissioned through the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). The first project began in August 2022, which will examine drug use within minority ethnic groups.
Additionally, the Office for Life Sciences are implementing an 'addiction healthcare mission', with an investment of £30 million over three years. The mission aims to enhance the United Kingdom’s research environment, encourage innovative treatments and technologies to support recovery and reduce the harm and deaths these addictions cause. The Department and the Joint Combating Drugs Unit have also launched a new £5 million innovation fund with the NIHR. This will develop and evaluate innovative pilot projects which aim to reduce recreational drug use and phase 1 projects are expected to commence in March 2023.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms Police awareness and practice regarding gambling related harms, published in June; and in particular, the finding that there is a lack of awareness among police forces about the links between crime and gambling harms.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has acknowledged the importance for police and others to be able to recognise the signs early when dealing with somebody with a gambling addiction who is going through the criminal justice process, to ensure the best support is offered. Policing is collaborating with both the public and private sectors to improve the understanding of officers and staff of the signs to look out for.
In September 2021, a Level 2 Ofqual course, funded by the Gambling Commission, was developed and launched in collaboration with a number of experts from Gambling Health Alliance, Beacon Gambling Trust, Unite the Union and Addiction Recovery Agency. This course provides better knowledge for those working in the criminal justice system as well as those within the gambling industry, on understanding and spotting early signs of gambling addictions. This course is the first step in improving the understanding of those working within the criminal justice system, who will come across addicts in their role, using a First Aid approach to addressing and supporting those experiencing gambling-related harms.
The NPCC is currently gathering best practice from police forces on early screening of gambling addicts, ensuring the right offer of support is in place, and signposting where people can seek further help. The Government will continue to work closely with them to understand their findings and consider next steps.