Drugs (Hansard, 5 December 2001)

§ Paul Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the 337W efficiency of the proportion of the drugs budget that has been spent on (a) treatment, (b) the criminal justice system and (c) anti-drugs education in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Council of Europe countries. [19716]

§ Mr. Bob Ainsworth
Proactive expenditure directly targeted at tackling drug misuse and drug trafficking will total some £932 million in 2001–02 (excluding devolved spending). This is broadly allocated as follows:

£328 million treatment:

£92 million protecting young people (education, prevention and early intervention);

£135 million safeguarding communities (including criminal justice measures and the new Communities against Drugs (CAD) programme);

and £373 million reducing the availability of drugs, particularly class A drugs; and

an additional £5 million to support the work of local Drug Action Teams in delivering the strategy locally.
A number of studies have been published which support the value of Government investment in tackling drug misuse and drug related crime. These include the National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS), whose reports are published by the National Addiction Centre at www.ntors.org.uk and "Drug Treatment and Testing Orders: Final Evaluation Report, Home Office Research Study 21", published October 2000, copies of which are available in the Library of the House of Commons.
On anti-drugs education I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 6 November 2001, Official Report, column 183W.
We have not undertaken any assessment of allocation of drugs budgets in other Council of Europe countries.

§ Paul Flynn
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Britain's anti-drug budget was devoted to treatment in each of the past six years for which figures are available. [19711]

Mr. Bob
Ainsworth: Information in the form requested is available only for the year 1998–99 onwards. The data refer to proactive investment directly aimed at tackling drug misuse.

Treatment¹ (£ million) Total anti-drug budget (£ million) Treatment as percentage of total

1998–99 168 525 32

1999–2000 209 619 33.8

2000–01 234 695 33.7

2001–02 328 932 35.2

¹ The amounts detailed comprise mainstream spending by Department of Health, local authorities and the pooled National Treatment Agency budget. They exclude additional Prison Service treatment spend which is under the Communities aim

	Treatment¹ (£ million)	Total anti-drug budget (£ million)	Treatment as percentage of total
1998–99	168	525	32
1999–2000	209	619	33.8
2000–01	234	695	33.7
2001–02	328	932	35.2
¹ The amounts detailed comprise mainstream spending by Department of Health, local authorities and the pooled National Treatment Agency budget. They exclude additional Prison Service treatment spend which is under the Communities aim