HC Deb 21 June 1994 vol 245 cc67-70W
Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were identified as drug addicts in each year since 1979, by drug of addiction.

Mr. Maclean

Information for 1988 to 1992 on children notified as drug addicts is in the table. Information for 1987 is not readily available and information for earlier years is not available on a comparable basis.

All drug addicts aged under 21 notified to the Home Office during the year by type of drug to which addiction was reported12 and year
United Kingdom Number of persons
1988
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Heroin 10 52 152 1,214 1,428
Methadone 0 3 8 113 124
Dipipanone 0 1 2 29 32
Cocaine 0 4 19 103 126
Morphine 0 2 3 44 49
Pethidine 0 0 0 4 4
Dextromoramide 0 0 2 13 15
Levorphanol 0 0 0 0 0
Hydrocodone 0 0 0 0 0
Oxycodone 0 0 0 0 0
Phenazocine 0 0 0 0 0
Piritramide 0 0 0 0 0
Hydromorphone 0 0 0 0 0
Opium 0 0 0 2 2
All addicts 10 56 169 1,312 1,547
of which 0 3 23 458 484
renotified
1As an addict can be reported as addicted to more than one notifiable drug the figures for individual drugs cannot be added together to produce totals.
2At time of last notification in the year.

All drug addicts aged under 21 notified to the Home Office during the year by type of drug to which addiction was reported12 and year
United Kingdom Number of persons
1989
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Heroin 9 32 119 1,153 1,313
Methadone 1 4 8 89 102
Dipipanone 0 0 2 25 27
Cocaine 3 4 18 96 121
Morphine 1 0 2 45 48
Pethidine 0 0 0 1 1
Dextromoramide 0 0 0 13 13
Levorphanol 0 0 0 0 0
Hydrocodone 0 0 0 0 0
Oxycodone 0 0 0 0 0
Phenazocine 0 0 0 0 0
Piritramide 0 0 0 0 0
Hydromorphone 0 0 0 0 0
Opium 0 0 0 0 0
All addicts 13 36 135 1,259 1,443
of which; 0 6 24 431 461
renotified
1As an addict can be reported as addicted to more than one notifiable drug the figures for individual drugs cannot be added together to produce totals.
2At time of last notification in the year.

All drug addicts aged under 21 notified to the Home Office during the year by type of drug to which addiction was reported12 and year
United Kingdom Number of persons
1990
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Heroin 8 33 133 1,280 1,454
Methadone 2 7 19 250 278
Dipipanone 1 0 1 26 28
Cocaine 2 3 26 148 179
Morphine 0 3 1 31 35
Pethidine 0 0 0 1 1
Dextromoramide 0 0 1 11 12
Levorphanol 0 0 0 0 0
Hydrocodone 0 0 0 0 0
Oxycodone 0 0 0 0 0
Phenazocine 0 0 0 0 0
Piritramide 0 0 0 0 0
Hydromorphone 0 0 0 0 0
Opium 0 0 2 14 16
All addicts 11 39 163 1,482 1,695
of which; 1 8 19 489 517
renotified
1As an addict can be reported as addicted to more than one notifiable drug the figures for individual drugs cannot be added together to produce totals.
2At time of last notification in the year.

All drug addicts aged under 21 notified to the Home Office during the year by type of drug to which addiction was reported12 and year—continued
United Kingdom Number of persons
1991
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Heroin 13 43 129 1,235 1,420
Methadone 5 7 30 406 448
Dipipanone 0 0 2 30 32

1991
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Cocaine 2 7 13 155 177
Morphine 0 1 4 27 32
Pethidine 0 0 0 4 4
Dextromoramide 0 0 2 7 9
Levorphanol 0 0 0 0 0
Hydrocodone 0 0 0 0 0
Oxycodone 0 0 0 0 0
Phenazocine 0 0 0 0 0
Piritramide o 0 0 0 0
Hydromorphone 0 0 0 0 0
Opium 0 0 0 1 1
All addicts 16 50 155 1,534 1,755
of which; 3 2 26 499 530
renotified
1As an addict can be reported as addicted to more than one notifiable drug the figures for individual drugs cannot be added together to produce totals.
2At time of last notification in the year.

All drug addicts aged under 21 notified to the Home Office during the year by type of drug to which addiction was reported12 and year—continued
United Kingdom Number of persons
1992
Age group
Type of drug Under 16 16 17 18–20 Total under 21
Heroin 12 66 174 1,544 1,796
Methadone 2 20 53 501 576
Dipipanone 1 1 5 20 27
Cocaine 1 4 34 187 226
Morphine 0 1 3 14 18
Pethidine 0 0 0 1 1
Dextromoramide 0 0 0 1 1
Levorphanol 0 0 0 0 0
Hydrocodone 0 0 0 0 0
Oxycodone 0 0 0 0 0
Phenazocine 0 0 0 0 0
Piritramide 0 0 0 0 0
Hydromorphone 0 0 0 0 0
Opium 0 0 0 1 1
All addicts 14 82 229 1,900 2,225
of which; 0 5 28 494 527
renotified
1As an addict can be reported as addicted to more than one notifiable drug the figures for individual drugs cannot be added together to produce totals.
2At time of last notification in the year.

Number of persons cautioned and prosecuted for offences of begging and sleeping out under the Vagrancy Act 1824 by area 1988 to 1992
Begging Sleeping out
Area/Year Cautions Prosecutions Cautions Prosecutions
Metropolitan Police District
1988 156 500 10 12
1989 207 1,251 12
1990 297 1,447 1 12
1991 457 1,486 5
1992 848 1,029 1 5

Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual general practitioners provided notification of drug addiction in each year since 1979.

Mr. Maclean

I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that my hon. Friend the Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack), then the Minister of State, Home Office gave her on 12 February 1993,Official Report, column 827. The figure given in that reply, which related to 1991, was obtained during a special study undertaken for another purpose, and information relating to the number of individual general practitioners who have provided notifications for each year since 1979 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total number of individuals notified as drug addicts in each year since 1979, by drug of addiction.

Mr. Maclean

The available information is published in tables 1 and 2 of the following Home Office statistical bulletins—issue 7/90, "Statistics of the Misuse of Drugs: Addicts Notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom, 1989", and issue 15/93, "Statistics of Drug Addicts Notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom, 1992". Copies of these publications are in the Library. These provide information on new addicts annually since 1979. Information on renotified addicts is only available from 1987.

Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of doctors in each year since 1979 who may prescribe diamorphine for drug addiction purposes.

Mr. Maclean

Ninety doctors are currently licensed by the Home Office to prescribe diamorphine for the treatment of drug addiction. Details of the numbers licensed in previous years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.