§ Mr. Terlezkiasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of heroin users (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. MellorBecause of the nature of the activity, it is not possible to make any reliable estimate of the total number of heroin users in the United Kingdom or in any part of it.
Notifications of addicts submitted to the Chief Medical Officer at the Home Office by medical practitioners in accordance with statutory requirements show that 3,006 persons were notified as claiming addition to heroin in the United Kingdom during 1982, the latest year for which figures are available. The corresponding figure for Wales is 61.
Recent research commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Security in two urban areas suggests that the figures derived from notifications in those areas may be an underestimate to at least a five-fold degree.