§ Rev. William McCreaasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many glue sniffer offenders have been successfully detected in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years and what steps have been taken to stop this practice;
(2) how many deaths can be attributed to glue sniffing in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years.
§ Mr. Chris PattenAs glue sniffing is not in itself a criminal offence there are no official statistics held on the number of people who have been detected as being engaged in the practice. However, the number of deaths attributed to glue sniffing has been recorded as follows:
Year Total 1981 1 1982 Nil 1983 2 It is considered at present that the problem is best dealt with by education and persuasion and in the past two years a programme of advice and information has been developed by the Department of Health and Social Services in collaboration with other Departments and public services.