§ 14. Mr. BorrowTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps she is taking to ensure that the introduction of the drugs referral scheme does not604W disadvantage those drug users who have not been arrested but who wish to receive treatment to break their drug dependency. [128662]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyArrest Referral Schemes play an important role in the Government's drug strategy, by putting drug misusers with problems in touch with the various treatment services available.
The Government have recently proposed a National Treatment Agency to provide a cohesive central approach to treatment for problem drug misusers. This means the Department of Health and the Home Office working together to ensure that those requiring treatment are able to access services which have a positive impact on health and crime, regardless of their route of referral.