On 17 March 2008, Official Report, column WS22, by way of a written ministerial statement, together with my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo), Minister of State for Health and the then Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Lewis), announced: additional Department of Health funding for prison clinical drug treatment; a national prison drug treatment strategy review group, to be chaired by Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel; and publication of the executive summary of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, “A Review of Prison Based Drug Treatment Funding, December 2007”.

I am today with my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Health announcing the membership of the national prison drug treatment strategy review group. The remit of the review group will be to consider the PwC recommendations, agree a single set of priorities and compile national guidance around the streamlining of the commissioning, delivery, funding and performance management of drug treatment for offenders.

Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel selected the members of the review group based on the knowledge, expertise and experience that each individual can bring. The criteria for membership were as follows:

Ability to make a positive and constructive contribution to making changes in the commissioning,delivery, funding and performance management of drug treatment for offenders;

Knowledge, experience and a respected track record of creating system changes including a commitment to making a difference;

Known and respected amongst their peers either within the fields of drug treatment, criminal justice or in wider change management;

Direct service user and carer experience;

Ability and capacity to actively contribute to the work of the review group including, when appropriate, attendance at additional sub-group meetings or location and project visits.

The list of members will be placed in the House Libraries.