§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds are currently being made available to assist people in Great Britain and. Northern Ireland to withdraw from benzodiazepines; and whether these funds will be increased in the future.
§ Mrs. Currie[holding answer 4 November 1988]: The provision and funding of services in England for those dependent on benzodiazepines is primarily the responsibility of health and local authorities. The Government have since 1986 allocated additional funds direct to regional health authorities specifically for the development of services for drug misusers. £5.47 million was allocated for this purpose in 1988–89. In addition, we set up the central funding initiative in 1983 to pump-prime local services for drug misusers. Under this scheme 188 local statutory and voluntary sector projects received a total of £17.5 million, of which £339,000 has been allocated to projects catering specifically for benzodiazepine dependants. In addition many of the remaining 184 projects also include a service for this client group.
Services in the rest of the United Kingdom are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Northern Ireland.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will consider banning the prescription of benzodiazepines to new patients.
§ Mrs. Currie[holding answer 4 November 1988]: There is no case for doing so at present. We have received the 181W advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines that benzodiazepines are clinically useful if prescribed within their licensed indications such as short-term use for severe anxiety or severe insomnia and for pre-anaesthesia. It is the responsibility of individual doctors to decide on the best treatment for their patients. This will include deciding whether to prescribe a drug at all, to offer the patient a psychological form of treatment such as counselling or to refer the patient to a hospital consultant or other specialist help.
§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds are currently being made available to assist people in the Bristol area to withdraw from benzodiazepines; what organisations are benefiting; and to what extent in each case.
§ Mrs. Currie[holding answer 4 November 1988]: South Western regional health authority is primarily responsible for services for those dependent on benzodiazepines in the Bristol area. The Government have allocated over £355,000 in 1988–89 to the region specifically for the development of drug misuse services, including services for those dependent on benzodiazepines. For further information the hon. Member may like to consult the South Western regional health authority. In addition, under the central funding initiative set up to pump-prime local drug misuse services, we have allocated £226,070 over a three-year period beginning 1985–86 to the Bristol drugs project, which also provides services for those dependent on benzodiazepines.