Heroin (Hansard, 21 November 2001)

§ Mr. Cameron
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are available in(a) residential and (b) other centres for the treatment of heroin addiction. [16022]

§ Mr. Bob Ainsworth
There are approximately 3,100 residential places available across England for those requiring treatment for substance misuse problems. Although the majority of these places will be taken up by opiate users, they are also for those addicted to other drugs. It is therefore not possible to estimate how many of these places are taken up by heroin addicts.
As far as non-residential centres are concerned there are approximately 450 drug services across the country. As these centres respond to different levels of demand at different times it is not possible to put a figure on the number of places they provide.

§ Mr. Cameron
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many addicts are receiving methadone replacement treatment for heroin addiction. [16023]

Figures on the number of heroin users by area and data source

Area Year Data source Estimate

Great Britain 2000 DMD¹ 25,000 new episodes of treatment in 6 months

Northern Ireland 2000–01 DMD² 47 users reporting to agencies in 12 months

Northern Ireland 2000 Addicts Index³ 233 users registered

England and Wales 2000 BCS⁴ 46,000 users in the past year and 18,000 in the last month (by 16-to 24-year-olds)

United Kingdom 1996 Research report⁵ 162, 544 to 243, 820 problematic users

¹ Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases for six months ending September 2000. National Statistics/Department of Health Statistical Bulletin 2001 18 June.

² Northern Ireland Drug Misuse Database. Progress Report and Initial Findings 2000–01. Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit, September 2001.

³ Northern Ireland Drug Addicts' Statistical Information Bulletin, 31 December 2000.

⁴ Drug misuse declared in 2000: results from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Study 224.

⁵ Frishcer M, Hickman M, Kraus L, Mariani F and Wiessing L (2001) A comparison of different methods for estimating the prevalence of problematic drug misuse in Great Britain. Addiction, 96, 1465–1476.

Figures on the number of heroin users by area and data source
Area	Year	Data source	Estimate
Great Britain	2000	DMD¹	25,000 new episodes of treatment in 6 months
Northern Ireland	2000–01	DMD²	47 users reporting to agencies in 12 months
Northern Ireland	2000	Addicts Index³	233 users registered
England and Wales	2000	BCS⁴	46,000 users in the past year and 18,000 in the last month (by 16-to 24-year-olds)
United Kingdom	1996	Research report⁵	162, 544 to 243, 820 problematic users
¹ Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases for six months ending September 2000. National Statistics/Department of Health Statistical Bulletin 2001 18 June.
² Northern Ireland Drug Misuse Database. Progress Report and Initial Findings 2000–01. Drug and Alcohol Information and Research Unit, September 2001.
³ Northern Ireland Drug Addicts' Statistical Information Bulletin, 31 December 2000.
⁴ Drug misuse declared in 2000: results from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Study 224.
⁵ Frishcer M, Hickman M, Kraus L, Mariani F and Wiessing L (2001) A comparison of different methods for estimating the prevalence of problematic drug misuse in Great Britain. Addiction, 96, 1465–1476.