§ Mr. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the proposed new centres for treatment of drug abuse and solvent abuse are to be purely voluntary; or whether legislation is to be considered to encompass enforced care and attention when an abuser's life is at risk.
§ Mr. John PattenIt is not envisaged that treatment at any facilities specifically provided for drug and solvent misusers will be compulsory.
Genuine desire to be helped is regarded as of fundamental importance by those involved in rehabilitation of substance misusers. The Mental Health Act 1983 provided that no one should be dealt with under the Act as suffering from mental disorder by reason only of dependence on drugs. In the case of young persons also informal action will normally be appropriate. However, the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 already gives the police a power to detain in a place of safety any youngster in respect of whom they have reasonable cause to believe that any of the conditions in section 1(2), of the Act are satisfied. The first of these is that the youngster's proper development is being avoidably prevented or neglected or his health is being avoidably impaired or neglected, or he is being ill-treated. In suitable cases persistent drug or solvent misuse could be drawn to the attention of the social services department as an indication for considering the need for care proceedings under the Act.
§ Mr. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any measures taken to fund regional drug centres, following the current reviews of drug abuse being carried out by health authorities, will also embrace the problem of solvent abuse.
§ Mr. John PattenThe first replies have not yet been received to the circular issued to health authorities in June requiring reports on their plans for action to tackle drug misuse. The provision of specific facilities to deal with solvent misusers was not generally favoured in the responses to our wide consultations last year. Generally these responses endorsed the Government's policy on solvent misuse of helping parents and the whole range of relevent services to use existing skills, resources and powers to co-operate more effectively. We have offered to consider applications for funding of small-scale studies of good local arrangements for coping with solvent misuse.