HC Deb 16 January 1990 vol 165 cc195-8W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many benzodiazepine tranquilliser addicts are known to have broken their dependency.

Mr. Freeman

The information requested is not available.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will provide the necessary funds to ensure that the national tranquilliser advice centre can continue operating;

(2) what help or advice has been given to the national tranquilliser advice centre by his Department towards preventing its closure through lack of funds.

Mr. Freeman

The Department awarded a grant of £10,000 to TRANX (UK) Ltd. in 1988–89 to enable the organisation to balance its books in that year. The organisation was advised that it should collaborate closely with local statutory authorities in order to secure adequate funds for the future. In the current financial year representatives of TRANX (UK) Ltd. met departmental officials who advised them that central funding was unlikely to be available in their existing circumstances. To assist TRANX, officials therefore suggested that it should provide details of its budget expectations and how it would set priorities for the services it offers in line with the

Eastern Division North West Thames, North East Thames and East Anglian Regions.

East Midlands Division Trent and Oxford Regions.

North Eastern Division Yorkshire and Northern Regions, excluding Cumbria.

North Western Division North Western and Mersey Regions, plus Cumbria.

Southern Division South East Thames, South West Thames and Wessex Regions.

Western Division West Midlands and South Western Regions.

The numbers and total of visits to high cost practices undertaken in England since 1979 in each of the RMS divisions is shown in the following table:

funding likely to be available. Following this reappraisal by TRANX, the Department would consider whether there was any advice or help which it could offer.

When the North West Thames regional health authority and the London borough grants unit decided not to continue to support TRANX the Department wrote in December explaining that because the local statutory authorities are no longer prepared to fund local elements of the service TRANX (UK) Ltd. provides and given the constraints on central funds the Department is unable to offer the organisation any further grant aid.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will summarise the nature of the new provision for drug misusers that has been made by the regional health authorities with the near £15 million provided by his Department; and approximately what proportion of this provision is specifically aimed at those addicted to tranquillisers.

Mr. Freeman

Regions are due to report in detail on the use made of the £14.793 million allocated in 1989–90 specifically for the development of drug misuse services in July 1990. We will be asking regions for full details of developments funded from these earmarked allocations which will include information on services for people dependent on tranquillisers.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the spread of the service provided by the national tranquilliser advice centre for tranquilliser addicts;

(2) what information he has been given by the national tranquilliser advice centre about the national service it provides; and what information he has on the proportion of the inquiries it receives from people living in areas which are not part of the North West Thames region.

Mr. Freeman

Direct client services of the kind TRANX (UK) Ltd. offers are best provided locally rather than nationally. Local statutory authorities are best placed to decide which services are worthy of support and fit in with their overall plans. TRANX (UK) Ltd. has provided the Department with details of the national service it offers. This consists of telephone counselling, written information about tranquillisers and advice on how to withdraw from them, together with a newsletter.

Figures from TRANX (UK) Ltd's annual report for 1988 (the most recent available) show that 44 per cent. of inquiries in England were from areas not covered by the catchment areas of the four Thames regions. The breakdown of inquiries from the North West Thames area is not separately available.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what efforts his Department has made to establish the number of people at risk of addiction through taking benzodiazepine tranquillisers on a long term basis.

Mr. Freeman

It is unlikely that it would be possible to obtain accurate statistical data on those dependent on benzodiazepines. What is important is to encourage careful prescribing of benzodiazepines, to promote alternatives to their use and to provide services for those experiencing problems as a result of their dependence: the right hon. Member will be aware of the initiatives the Government are taking in this respect.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of tranquilliser advice centres, similar to the national tranquilliser advice centre, operating throughout the United Kingdom and on their source of funding.

Mr. Freeman

We are aware of a number of centres in various parts of England which provide advice for those working with those dependent on tranquillisers. We are also aware of many local services for this group. The provision and funding of these local direct client services is the responsibility of the local statutory authorities. We are funding the National Association for Mental Health (MIND) to produce a national directory of services for this group. Up to £81,000 has been made available for the work which is spread over three financial years starting in 1988–89.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigation there has been of the type of support and advice that best enables those addicted to tranquillisers to overcome their addiction.

Mr. Freeman

Studies have shown that in other fields of dependence face-to-face counselling and contact with a local treatment service improve the likely prognosis compared with other treatment approaches. The available evidence is that this also applies to tranquillisers.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated number of people dependent on the benzodiazepine tranquillisers; and how the numbers have changed in the last 10 years.

Mr. Freeman

Detailed information is not held centrally, but it is known that in recent years the increase in the number of local agencies which have been established partly as a result of Government initiatives, has resulted in a far greater number of people coming forward for help in withdrawing from their prescribed drugs.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the most recent figure for the annual rate of prescription of benzodiazepine tranquillisers; and which pharmaceutical companies currently supply the National Health Service.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The latest estimate of the number of prescriptions for benzodiazepines dispensed by community pharmacists in Great Britain is 23.2 million in 1988. Under the selected list scheme prescriptions for most benzodiazepine sedatives and tranquillisers must be written generically. It is not possible to produce a comprehensive list of pharmaceutical companies whose products are being supplied. However some benzodiazepines may be prescribed at NHS expense using the brand name for example for intravenous use. The manufacturers concerned are

  • C. P. Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
  • Farmitalia Carlo Erba Ltd.
  • Kabi-Vitrum Ltd.
  • Roche Products Ltd.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response has been given to the pharmaceutical company Roche which has indicated that it would contribute towards the organisational costs of the national tranquilliser advice centre if his Department did likewise.

Mr. Freeman

My noble Friend Lady Hooper has written to Roche, informing it of the decision by North West Thames regional health authority and London borough grants unit and the Department of Health that no further funding can be awarded to TRANX (UK) Ltd.