§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to control the spread of drug abuse in the inner cities.
§ Mr. JackThe Government remain committed to improving all aspects of inner city life including combatting the problems of drug misuse. There is an established strategy for tackling drug misuse which aims to422W reduce both the supply of and demand for drugs. This involves the combined efforts of police and customs together with work on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation by statutory and voluntary agencies. The Criminal Justice Act 1991 has increased the scope for including treatment requirements in probation orders to deal with offenders with problems such as drug dependency. National anti-drugs campaigns have been run since 1985 and drugs education of all primary and secondary schools is now included in the national curriculum. Under the drugs prevention initiative, the Home Office has established local teams in 20 towns and cities in Great Britain. They are working with local communities in finding effective ways of preventing the spread of drug misuse and co-ordinating community preventive action. Some of the safer cities projects have also developed schemes to combat substance misuse. Widespread Government support and participation in European drug prevention week was also aimed at raising awareness of the benefits to be obtained from good preventative approaches.