§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of people who have been convicted of drug-related offences each year since 1979 and the range of prison sentences which were imposed for those offences during the same period.
§ Mr. MellorInformation on the numbers of persons found guilty of drugs offences in each year since 1979 is given in table 8 of "Statistics of the Misuse of Drugs in the United Kingdom, 1984" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 23/85). Details about the lengths of sentences of imprisonment for such offences are published annually in "Statistics of the Misuse of Drugs, United Kingdom, Supplementary Tables" (table 2.12 in the issues for 1983 and 1984 and table 3.3 in earlier issues). The published table for 1984 inadvertently excluded sentences of youth custody and so revised figures, including them, are given in the following table: 27W
Persons sentenced to unsuspected imprisonment, including youth custody, for drugs offences by length of sentence, 1984—United Kingdom Length of sentence given for principal drugs offence Number of persons Up to and including one month 501 Over one month up to and including three months 529 Over three months up to and including six months 436 Over six months up to and including one year 464 Over one year up to and including two years 682 Over two years up to and including five years 579 Over five years up to and including seven years 123 Over seven years 97 Total 3,411