§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures police forces are taking in conjunction with local education authorities to warn pupils of the dangers of drug taking.
§ Mr. MellorDrugs education in schools is the responsibility of local education authorities and of the schools. We encourage police forces to develop a wide programme of police/schools liaison in consultation with the local education authorities and with individual schools. This may include contributing to education about drugs as part of personal and social education in schools.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the full costs of the drugs raid on Broadwater Farm, including the full time costs of the officers employed, the processing costs of dealing with the prisoners, the opportunity costs and the administrative on-costs.
§ Mr. Peter LloydAs I stated in answer to the hon. Member on 6 November 1989 at column429, the additional overtime costs were about £42,500. Full costs are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many seizures of illicit drugs have been made by police and customs in 1989 to date; and what is the estimated value of drugs seized.
§ Mr. MellorIn the period 1 January to 6 November 1989 Customs report a provisional total of 6,830 seizures of controlled drugs. It is estimated that these would have had an equivalent street value of some £230 million. Comprehensive figures are not yet available for police seizures in 1989; the latest information is for 1988 when police made 32,947 seizures and customs 5,288 seizures of controlled drugs.
§ Mr. RaffanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on plans for the next phase of the national drug misuse prevention campaign.
§ Mr. MellorThe Health Department's final plans for the next phase of the national drug prevention publicity campaign will be considered at the next meeting of the ministerial group on the misuse of drugs. The campaign is176W planned to start early in the new year. In addition my right hon. and learned Friend has announced the setting up of drug prevention teams from April 1990, initially in nine local areas, to stimulate and harness community involvement in the prevention of drug misuse.
§ Mr. GregoryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug searches in Her Majesty's prisons have resulted in finds; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorInformation is not available in the form requested by my hon. Friend. But up to 14 November, some 3,000 finds of substances believed to be drugs had been reported by prison establishments in England and Wales during 1989. Some 92 per cent. of these involved cannabis.