§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to review(a) the targets and (b) the policy on drugs relating to 16 to 24-year-olds. [8647]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthWe are currently reviewing progress against all the Drugs Strategy targets as part of the work for the 2002 Spending Review, to ensure that we still have the right balance and focus. This supports the hard work already done by Keith Hellawell. As the Home Secretary indicated in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 October 2001, he is also seeking advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on their assessment for reclassifying cannabis from Class B to Class C, proposing an innovative public awareness campaign on drugs aimed at young people, providing £1 million as a starter fund for a pilot project to help police target regional drug traffickers with a view to a national roll-out of the scheme, proposing the roll-out of drug testing programmes, and a series of measures, in partnership with the Department of Health, to minimise the harm drugs cause.
Addressing substance misuse among 16 to 24-year-olds is a key priority in delivering the Strategy. We are developing our policy and approach in a number of areas, 337W such as in improving the planning and co-ordination of the delivery of services for young people through "Young People's Substance Misuse Plans". These will help integrate the work of the Drug Action Teams, responsible at local level for delivering education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation measures, with other children's services. We will shortly be launching a consultation exercise on ways of supporting effective joint working at local level.