HC Deb 18 November 1991 vol 199 cc64-5W
Mr. John Carlisle

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he is taking to curb drug abuse in national and international sport.

Mr. Atkins

The Government have sought to counter doping through the establishment in 1988 of the Sports Council's independent drug testing programme, and through the announcement in February 1991 of a carefully targeted package of measures to tackle steroid misuse including the creation of a new criminal offence of supplying steroids to minors. Internationally, the Government have ratified the Council of Europe's anti-doping convention which came into force in 1990 and have signed a trilateral anti-doping agreement with the Australian and Canadian Governments.