§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many drug-related deaths there have been in Scotland in each of the last five years and in the current year to date; and if he will make a statement regarding the trend in drug usage and his plans to deal with the problem.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 21 March 1994]: In his annual report the Registrar General for Scotland gives a statistical summary of information, obtained during the death certification process, about deaths arising from the use of various drugs. However, it is known from special exercises that information derived in this way does not give a complete picture of the deaths which occur as a result of the misuse of controlled drugs, and efforts are in hand to improve the reliability of the statistics. The Scottish Office has estimated that, in the year beginning 1 November 1991, between 80 and 120 habitual drug misusers died as a direct result of drug misuse.
The misuse of drugs is a serious and continuing problem in Scotland. The drugs task force, chaired by my noble and learned Friend the Minister of State, is presently conducting a wide-ranging review of the current arrangements for tackling drug misuse in Scotland and considering ways in which the response might be enhanced.