§ Lord Reaasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many units there are in the United Kingdom which provide facilities for needle exchange for intravenous drug users; and whether these have increased or decreased in number in recent years. [HL3890]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)Data from the drug action team template returns for 1999–2000 show a combined total of 322 statutory and voluntary sector providers of needle exchange services.
226WAThe directory Drug Problems: where to get help, published by the voluntary sector organisation the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse in 1998, lists 124 voluntary and statutory agencies which provide needle exchange facilities for injecting drug misusers. These data are not comparable due to their different methods of collection.
The Government recognise the very important role played by needle exchanges in helping to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases, particularly among people who might not otherwise engage with services.