HL Deb 16 June 1988 vol 498 cc371-3

3.7 p.m.

Lord Bonham-Carter asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the light of their response to the report of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs, what further advice they have received from that body.

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, the Government have welcomed the advice on AIDS and drug misuse contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. We have responded to a number of its recommendations and are looking in detail at others.

Lord Bonham-Carter

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. I was asking a slightly different Question from that which he has answered. I was asking whether the Government had received further advice from the advisory committee or from its working party, and if so what their response to it had been. Do I take it from what the Minister has said that the Government have not received any advice since the publication of the report from the committee?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, the noble Lord is quite correct in that we have not received a reply to our response to the report of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. If we do so we shall look at it carefully.

Lord Bonham-Carter

My Lords, I must confess to some surprise at that answer as both the committee and its working party have met since the report was published. In view of the urgency of the matter and the need for public education will the Minister consider asking the committee whether it has any advice? If it gives advice, will the Government publish it?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, it is difficult to say precisely what the Government's action will be until we have received a reply to our response.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, perhaps I may emphasise the urgency of the recommendations in the report and express consternation that either there has not been a reply or a reply has not been sent to the department. If there is a reply with further recommendations, will the Minister kindly find out about it because this is urgent? Is he aware that one of the main conclusions of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs was that HIV is a greater threat to public health than drugs abuse? In the light of that will he give a little more information on, first, departmental support for GP services as recommended by the report; and, secondly, on the recommendations of the report on the identification of drug misusers in prison?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, perhaps I may just clear up the situation with regard to the ACMD report on AIDS and drugs misuse. The report was published on 29th March and copies of it have been made widely available to health and local authorities and also to interested professional organisations. As the Government's response indicated, some of the recommendations in the report require detailed consultation with interested agencies and consideration is currently being given to what further action should be taken.

As regards the situation in prisons, I rather suspect that the noble Lord was referring especially to the provision of condoms. That is a matter for my right honourable friends the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Lord Kilmarnock

My Lords, the tone of the Government's response to these questions gives rise to considerable concern. Does the noble Earl not agree that drugs misuse by those who inject drugs is one of the main channels of conveyance of HIV infection into the community? Further, does he not agree that the advisory council recommended the setting up of drugs crisis intervention units at fixed points in the cities and, I think, on a mobile basis throughout the country, which will require funding? Will the Government give urgent attention to these most important matters?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, the latest stage of the Government's drugs prevention campaign, which was launched last September in conjunction with anti-injecting publicity, was largely heroin specific and was aimed at young people who might be tempted to use drugs. It warned them that doing so might well start a process of decline which could result in crime, deteriorating health and even injecting drug use and AIDS. Independent evaluation shows that negative beliefs about heroin, identified in previous stages, have been consolidated and resistance to trial remains high.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, I am still a little concerned over the lack of urgency about the recommendations and the response to them. I should like to help the Minister as to the two recommendations about which I asked for some report.

First, there was the recommendation that within the prison system the prison department should be asked to identify drugs misusers and that it should encourage them to identify themselves. Secondly, there was the support that health authorities and the department should give to general practitioners, thereby recognising their importance in the whole HIV situation.

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for the points he has made on the matter. It is something that I shall be obliged to refer to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State.

Lord Bonham-Carter

My Lords, I must confess to being a little disappointed by the reply to my last question. I asked the noble Earl, as I am sure he will recollect, whether the Government would publish the advice of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs. Does the noble Earl agree that public education is extremely important in this whole area? Further, can he give me one good reason why a report to the Government of an expert committee such as this should be kept secret?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, I must make it quite clear that the Government have already published the ACMD's report and their response to it.