§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make a statement on the work in which he has been involved aimed at tackling the problems related to drug misuse in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. NewtonI chair the ministerial sub-committee on the misuse of drugs which has co-ordinated a series of reviews of the Government's strategies to tackle drug misuse in the United Kingdom
A new drugs strategy for England for the period 199598 will be set out in a White Paper to be published shortly. The White Paper is a revised version of the consultative document "Tackling Drugs Together", which was published in October 1994. In Scotland, work is underway to implement the recommendations of the report "Drugs in Scotland: Meeting the Challenge" produced by the ministerial drugs task force, which was also published in October 1994. In Wales, a strategy on drug and alcohol misuse is being prepared. It is intended to set up a Welsh drug and alcohol unit to oversee the implementation of the strategy. The Northern Ireland committee on drug misuse has reviewed existing drug policies in Northern Ireland and last month issued a new policy statement for consultation.