§ Mrs. GoldingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spends annually on(a) drug education, and (b) drug welfare programmes aimed at children.
§ Mr. MacleanSince 1990, the Home Office drugs prevention initiative has, through the work of its 20 local teams and the central drug prevention unit, generated, supported and funded a wide range of activities to encourage drugs prevention in the community, including drugs education and support for families and children. The total cost of the initiative to date is about £14 million. The third annual report of the initiative, which describes a cross-section of work supported, is in the Library.
§ Mrs. GoldingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) 14, (b) 15, (c) 16 and (d) 17-year-olds were (i) given cautions (ii) fined and (iii) imprisoned on drugs offences in each year since 1987.
§ Mr. MacleanInformation on the number of 14, 15, 16 and 17-year-olds who were given cautions, fined or given immediate custodial sentences for drug offences, in each of the years since 1987, is contained in the table.
Table: number of 14, 15, 16 and 17-year-olds given cautions, fined and given immediate custodial sentences for drug offences, United Kingdom 1987–92 Age at sentence Year and disposal 14 15 16 17 1987 cautioned 36 116 258 405 fined 3 15 103 344 immediate custody 2 5 14 49 1988 cautioned 36 131 319 659 fined 2 23 76 360 immediate custody 3 6 20 57 1989 cautioned 97 282 548 1,028 fined 5 23 123 529 immediate custody 3 7 20 45 1990 cautioned 207 573 1,031 1,633 fined 10 33 163 602 immediate custody 1 0 21 38 1991 cautioned 256 661 1,219 2,091 fined 11 28 143 551 immediate custody 0 4 19 53 1992 cautioned 281 619 1,263 2,365 fined 6 27 122 424 immediate custody 0 10 25 67