§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of new patients prescribed benzodiazepines by doctors since January 1988.
§ Mr. MellorWe do not collect this information centrally.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what evidence he has on the number of road accidents caused by impaired concentration of motorists taking benzodiazepines;
(2) what evidence he has on the number of accidents (a) in the home and (b) elsewhere caused to elderly people by taking benzodiazepines;
(3) what evidence he has on the incidence of structural brain damage causesd by long-term use of benzodiazepines.
§ Mr. MellorWe do not collect this information centrally.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to undertake a national education campaign to warn young people about the dangers of benzodiazepine addiction.
§ Mr. MellorWe have no such plans. Health, personal and social education in schools, backed by the work of
504Wdrug education co-ordinators in every local education authority, covers the use and misuse of a wide range of substances, including prescribed drugs.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of people prescribed benzodiazepines since January 1988 who have taken them for longer than the period laid down by the Committee on Safety of Medicines.
§ Mr. MellorWe do not collect this information centrally.
§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his latest estimate of the number of chronic users of benzodiazepines in the United Kingdom; and what percentage of these are addicted to the drug.
§ Mr. MellorWe do not hold this information centrally.