HC Deb 22 June 1988 vol 135 cc568-9W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many of the 25 million prescriptions for benzodiazepines in 1986 were repeat prescriptions.

Mrs. Currie

I regret that the information requested is not available. Repeat prescriptions are not separately identifiable.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps are being taken to ensure that represcription of benzodiazepines is done under controlled conditions.

Mrs. Currie

General practitioners are free to decide how best to issue repeat prescriptions to suit the needs of the patient. Many general practitioners already operate control systems which ensure the patients are regularly reviewed. We have made it clear in the White Paper "Promoting Better Health" that family practitioner committees will be expected to review prescribing patterns in future.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will undertake a sample survey of benzodiazepines prescribing so as to obtain a profile of the patients taking these drugs, relating numbers to the period of time for which the drugs have been taken.

Mrs. Currie

The Department has in the past supported research into prescriptions for minor tranquillisers and investigations into techniques for the cessation of tranquilliser consumption but has no plans to undertake a survey of benzodiazepine prescribing.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is his estimate of the number of long-term chronic users of the benzodiazepines; and what is the source of the estimated figures;

(2) what estimate he can give of the proportion of the 25 million prescriptions for benzodiazepines in 1986 which was prescribed to patients who had been taking the drug for longer than two to four weeks.

Mrs. Currie

I regret that the information requested is not held centrally.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussion he has had with relevant medical bodies regarding controls on the use of benzodiazepines; and what conclusions were reached.

Mrs. Currie

Representatives of the Committee on Safety of Medicines had useful and informal discussions with the Royal College of Psychiatrists prior to the issue of "Current Problems" No. 21. However, in recognition of the current concern about benzodiazepines, issues about the prescribing of these drugs are soon to be the subject of discussions between professional organisations and the chief medical officer.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services in which areas of the United Kingdom leaflets approved by the local drug and therapeutic committee and warning about the risk of benzodiazepine addiction are being circulated; and what action is being taken by his Department to encourage the wider circulation of such leaflets.

Mrs. Currie

Leaflets and other literature approved by local drug and therapeutic committees are issued on local initiative, and information about them is not collected centrally.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of the money provided by his Department for drug services has gone to help those suffering from addiction to benzodiazepines; and what steps are being taken by his Department to direct money to this area.

Mrs. Currie

Under the central funding initiative set up to develop drug misuse services, grants totalling £339,000 were made to four projects specifically for those dependent on tranquillisers. Each year funds are allocated to regional health authorities (£6.5 million in 1988–89) specifically for the development of drug misuse services. It is for health authorities to allocate these funds to individual services, since they are best placed to determine local needs. Many of the services financed from these allocations, and the other 184 projects funded under the central funding initiative, provide help for those dependent on tranquillisers.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if there is evidence of a change in the prescribing of the benzodiazepines following the notice sent to doctors by the Committee on Safety of Medicines in January which recommended restricted prescribing of these drugs.

Mrs. Currie

Official statistics about prescribing of benzodiazepines for the period following January 1988 will not be available until the beginning of 1989 at the earliest.