§ Mr. Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath)I beg to move,
That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make it an offence to drive a motor vehicle while under the influence of a controlled drug; to provide powers for police officers to undertake roadside drug tests on drivers; to provide that statistics of drug-related road accidents and deaths are collected and collated; and for connected purposes.I introduce this Bill not simply because of the views that I hold—although they are very strong views—but because the shadow Home Office team collectively believes that this is an important issue that has been neglected for far too long. We are therefore adopting a recent change in strategy whereby, although this is a ten-minute Bill, we are taking the matter seriously and we hope that it will progress to become law. Indeed, a counterpart Bill will be introduced in another place tomorrow by my noble Friends Lord Dixon-Smith and Baroness Anelay of St. Johns. We very much hope that it, along with this Bill, will receive all-party support.I have been concerned about this issue for many years—long before I came to this House. I began in practice at the Bar in the late 1970s, and as with all barristers on circuit, I dealt with many cases involving motoring offences. Tragically, many of the most serious involved very serious injury or death. In recent years, we have seen increasing incidences of death or serious injury caused to entirely innocent, law-abiding drivers as a result of dangerous driving by motorists under the influence of drugs, or of a combination of drink and drugs. I shall say a little more in a moment about the particular problems arising from a cocktail of drink and drugs, and about the reasons why there is an increase in such incidents.
I want to pay particular tribute to Rhiannon Sadler and Anarhali Moonesinghe, who are two researchers in my office. In preparing the shadow Home Office team's work on this issue, they contacted every police force in the country and all of Her Majesty's coroners. They asked very detailed questions about the increasing incidence of serious injury and fatal accidents caused by, or contributed to by, one or more drivers being under the influence of drugs, or of drink and drugs. I should stress that we have also had enormous support from the AA, the RAC Foundation and the British Medical Association, all of which—like the shadow Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dorset (Mr. Letwin), myself and the rest of the shadow Home Office team—have pursued this issue for years.
The big problem that we understood from our research is that nobody is required to collate the statistics on this issue. Indeed, almost every one of Her Majesty's coroners said, "We'd love to get more information about this, but we haven't got the resources." That is why the Bill would require that funding be provided to every coroner and to every police force in the country, to ensure that these statistics are collected properly. Once we know the scale of the problem, we will be able to address it more rapidly and accurately.
Traffic officers are at the sharp end of this problem and have to deal with the horrendous consequences of serious injury and fatal traffic accidents. I want to stress 311 that every officer to whom we spoke said that people who are addicted to drugs or are regular drug users and who are planning to drive will often choose to drink alcohol as well. If they are stopped because an accident has happened, or for any other reason, they will merely be breathalysed and dealt with only as a drink driver. Although that will probably lead to a ban in court, it will not lead to an investigation by drugs squad officers, which might lead to much more serious criminal sentences, and perhaps a lengthy period of imprisonment. That applies especially to those who deal drugs as well as take them. As one officer said, drug addicts who do not drink as well are crackers. If they drink as well, they will get away with a lower penalty if they are stopped or if there is an accident.
The Opposition have pursued the matter in various debates, notably in two debates on the Government's drugs policy either side of the recent Christmas and new year recess, in which the Government effectively promised jam tomorrow. They said that they would do something about the matter when parliamentary time allowed. Opposition Members are convinced that the problem is far too serious to be kicked into the long grass in that way, and we are strongly supported in that by the AA, the RAC Foundation and the BMA.
The Bill gives the Government an opportunity, as I told the Home Office Minister who responded to one of the Government drugs policy debates that it would. We hope that the Government will allow this Bill, or its equivalent in another place, to proceed.
I also thank the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann) for his support for the Bill, and for all the work that he has done to highlight the extent of the drugs problem. It is an issue that I hope will attract all—party support.
We need to protect law-abiding motorists from being seriously injured or wiped out by drug-crazed drivers. The BMA says that the use of illegal drugs by the younger generation is frequent and increasing. Talking to young people at secondary school or in their late teens, one finds that they have been persuaded by the media that the Government have legalised cannabis already. They are stunned when they are told that cannabis is not legal. Unfortunately, the Government have given out all the wrong signals on the matter.
The BMA reports that nearly half of all 16 to 24-year-olds in England and Wales have used cannabis at least once. Because they are going to be the young drivers of the immediate future, it is even more worrying that 39 per cent. of that age group said that they had taken hallucinogens. Rather fewer of them had taken other 312 drugs. However, a separate survey of club goers in Scotland found that 69 per cent. had taken cannabis, and that 85 per cert. had at some time driven a car after using illegal drugs.
The problem of drug driving is not only related to the misuse of illegal drugs, as prescription drugs may also cause drivers' judgment to be impaired. However, this Bill concentrates specifically on the illegal, controlled drugs. That is not to say that we ignore the other serious aspects of the matter, but I wanted to keep the Bill's scope within bounds, in the hope of attracting all-party support.
Recent research from the transport and road research laboratory in Crowthorne, in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for Bracknell (Mr. Mackay), next door to mine, shows that between 1987 and 1999, there was a significant increase from at least 3 per cent. to 12 per cent. in the detection of illegal drugs in the blood of drivers in road accidents. However, coroners and police forces need to be able to use roadside tests.
I pay tribute to forces such as those in Hampshire, Surrey, Strathclyde and Northamptonshire for piloting the field impairment test. Specific legislative provision can be given for such tests. The roadside impairment test takes place at the side or the road and can form the basis for the arrest of a driver, after an accident or moving-traffic offence, who may have taken drugs. That person can then undergo a full medical blood test, and in that way we will detect people who take drugs and drive, and deter people from doing that.
I commend the Bill to the House.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Nick Hawkins, John Mann, Mr. Oliver Letwin, Mr. James Paice, Mr. Dominic Grieve, Mr. Humfrey Malins, Mr. Mark Franois, Angela Watkinson and Mr. Iain Duncan Smith.