HC Deb 12 July 2000 vol 353 cc854-6
3. Mrs. Ann Winterton (Congleton)

What progress has been made in recruiting counsellors for drug prevention and treatment specifically in rural areas. [128646]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office (Marjorie Mowlam)

In order to expand treatment capacity, the Government recently ran a major national advertising campaign to recruit drug workers and counsellors. The response was exceptional, with more than 20,000 expressions of interest received. Drug action teams are now working on matching applications to vacancies. The Government's 10-year strategy to tackle drugs is designed to combat drug misuse in all parts of the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Winterton

Drug dealers are increasingly targeting young people in rural areas. Not only do young people in those areas have less infrastructure to support them but, at the same time, drug action teams and police have fewer resources available in those same areas. Will the forthcoming rural White Paper contain a specific commitment to support drug action teams in rural areas?

Marjorie Mowlam

I cannot tell the hon. Lady what the rural White Paper will contain, because I do not know. Although I am working on the White Paper, I do not know what it will finally contain. However, I reassure her that Macclesfield, which is the area covering her constituency of Congleton, will have some of the £70 million that we have just provided to central treatment agencies to increase treatment, where necessary, and to achieve even higher goals.

Education and preventing children from getting into drugs initially are crucial. I am pleased to say that 100 per cent. of Congleton primary schools provide such education. I am sure that both the hon. Lady and I welcome that record.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich)

My right hon. Friend will be aware that the pressure on schools is very great. It is clear that smaller children are now being deliberately targeted not only in rural areas, but in rural towns. Will she pay tribute to the work of the voluntary organisations that, in areas such as Cheshire, are doing tremendous work to help educate primary and pre-primary children on the effects of drugs?

Marjorie Mowlam

I am most willing to congratulate the voluntary sector on the work that it does in educating particularly very young people on the dangers of drugs. I hope that we can do further work in partnership with the voluntary sector on what we call positive futures. We are working with the voluntary sector and particularly with various sports groups, whether football clubs or basketball groups. We are trying to get young people, through peer group pressure, to think of things other than drugs as they grow up. That is working in many towns and cities, and I look forward to the development of other projects.

Mr. David Heath (Somerton and Frome)

Given the evidence that, in the prevalence of drug taking and the availability of drugs, there is very little difference between rural areas and urban areas, is there anything that the right hon. Lady can do to reduce the disparity in the provision of youth services between rural areas and urban areas? Youth services could provide very useful counselling and advice services on drugs.

Marjorie Mowlam

I cannot give the hon. Gentleman a direct answer now, but if he would like to tell me the specific areas that he is referring to, I shall talk to the Department with responsibility for youth services and see what it can do.

Mr. Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley)

Although rehabilitation units have been established in rural areas, they unfortunately really do lack funding. What help and financial support could be given to the groups that have already been established?

Marjorie Mowlam

That is exactly what we are in the process of doing. We have just advertised for drug counsellors, and we are beginning training, so that staff are available to work in the centres. We are also putting £70 million extra into drug treatment. As we realise that it is no good starting the centres if we do not have the workers, we are working through the matter logically, ensuring that we have both workers and centres. We hope that we will soon see the results of that work. I accept my hon. Friend's point that there are waiting lists in some areas, but not in others.