Heroin (Hansard, 17 December 1998)

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he plans to take to limit increases in the abuse of heroin. [64315]

§ Mr. Galbraith
The Government have already taken a number of measures to enhance our response to drug misuse, including heroin.
In October my hon. Friend the Minister for Home Affairs and Devolution and I announced an additional £5 million package of measures between now and March 2000. This included £2 million backing for new initiatives to cut drug crime, such as drug treatment and testing orders and more intensive probation; a £2 million boost to NHS drug treatment funding; a multi-agency blitz to reclaim communities in the grip of drug dealers; and the establishment of a new national drug prevention team to work with Drug Action Teams. Specifically on heroin, we have made £300,000 available to the Health Education Board for Scotland for new work to combat the threat to young people from cheap heroin.
In addition, we expect to issue an enhanced drug strategy framework for Scotland in the first part of 1999 and this will take account of the current concerns about increased heroin misuse.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide additional resources to fund a public awareness campaign on the dangers of heroin abuse. [64316]

§ Mr. Galbraith
Additional resources of £300,000 have already been made available to the Health Education Board for Scotland for new work to combat the threat to young people from heroin. That work is now at an advanced stage and a decision will be taken shortly on how and when it can be taken forward.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of heroin abuse in the Lothian and Borders Police Board Area. [64312]

§ Mr. McLeish
The Government's strategy for tackling drug misuse in Scotland focuses on the key areas of education, treatment and enforcement. Police operations like Operation Foil carried out recently by Lothian and Borders Police against heroin use are a vital contribution to the Government's overall drugs strategy.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the level of resources available to the police in the Lothian and Borders Police Board area to combat heroin abuse. [64317]

§ Mr. McLeish
The level of resources deployed by the Lothian and Borders Police on drugs issues is an operational matter for the Chief Constable within the funding level set by the Police Board. During the period 1996–97 to 1998–99 Lothian and Borders Police GAE funding has increased by 9.2 per cent. This has enabled the Force to sustain high profile operations such as the recent highly successful Operation Foil directed against heroin use.

§ Mr. Kirkwood
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance has been made available to the courts on a consistent sentencing strategy for heroin users and dealers. [64313]
688W

§ Mr. McLeish
It is not a function of my right hon. Friend to give guidance to the courts on sentencing. The Appeal Court gives guidance to other courts through its appeal decisions, and in disposing of appeals it has the power under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 to pronounce an opinion on the sentence which is appropriate in any similar case. The courts can and do make use of a wide range of penalties provided for drugs offenders, depending on the varying circumstances of each case. Heroin is a Class A drug in terms of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and as such its possession and supply are subject to tough maximum penalties, including life imprisonment in the case of supply. In the case of drug traffickers there is a mandatoryminimum sentence of seven years on conviction of a third offence.