§ 23. Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to combat drug abuse in Northern Ireland. [29824]
§ Sir John WheelerA wide range of activities to combat drug misuse in Northern Ireland is carried out by a variety of agencies, including those working in areas of health education, treatment and law enforcement.
In addition, the Northern Ireland Committee on Drug Misuse, which advises the Department of Health and Social Services on issues relating to drug and solvent misuse, is current preparing a draft policy statement on drug misuse in Northern Ireland.
The draft statement includes five main priority areas for action—education and prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, law enforcement, information and research and monitoring and evaluation—and has been the subject of a widespread consultation exercise, the responses to which are currently being evaluated. At the end of this process, the committee intends to submit a final draft to the Government for consideration as the basis of a policy framework for tackling drug misuse in Northern Ireland.
This will be addressed by a new top-level committee which I have established and which I will chair to ensure that individual Government Departments contribute fully towards a properly co-ordinated approach to tackling the drugs problem.