§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what public funding from central Government sources is given to non-governmental organisations for drug education purposes. [83860]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthFor 2002–03 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has provided nongovernmental organisations, including the National Children's Bureau, Drug Education Practitioners Group and DrugScope, with £100,150 funding for drug education purposes.
The Government also issued drug education and prevention funding (£5 million in 2001–02 and £9 million 2002–03) to primary care trusts (PCTs). All PCTs and social services departments, in partnership with their local Drug Action Team, will use this funding to commission: (a) primary and (b) secondary prevention activity for all young people identified as at risk.
869WThe DfES has also committed £15 million to local education authorities to support drug education in schools and this will rise to £17 million in 2003–04. This increase will improve the quality and coverage of drug, alcohol and tobacco education programmes in schools. In many areas non-governmental organisations will be commissioned to deliver substance misuse education. However this is a local decision and there is no central monitoring of whether funds are used by local education authorities and PCTs to fund non-governmental organisations.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions on(a) drug charges and (b) drug dealing there have been in the West Midlands in each of the past four years. [84823]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe numbers of cautions and convictions for all drug offences and trafficking offences in the West Midlands police force area from 1997–2000 are shown the table.
Number of persons found guilty, cautioned, given a fiscal fine or dealt with by compounding for drug offences in West Midlands police area, 1997–2000 Number of Persons All drug offences Trafficking offences 1997 5,292 633 1998 6,353 709 1999 5,725 663 2000 5,837 688 Source:
Home Office Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, United Kingdom, 1997–2000—Area Tables.
The Home Office Statistical Bulletin is available on the Recorded Data Service (RDS) website, http:www.homeoffice.gov.uk.rds.pdfs2.hosb402.pdf, and copies are available in the Library.
§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conferences on the subject of drugs have been attended by Ministers and senior civil servants since May 1997; who the organisers were of each conference; and what financial support from central Government sources was provided for each occasion. [84222]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthMinisters and officials regularly attend conferences within the UK and internationally on the subject of drug misuse. To provide the detail requested would incur disproportionate cost.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent discussions he has had with his Irish counterpart about lessons for the United Kingdom from drugs courts in Ireland; [82990]
(2) what discussions he has had with his Swedish counterpart about lessons for the United Kingdom from drugs courts in Sweden. [82989]
870W
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthMy right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has had no formal contacts with his Irish or Swedish counterpart on this issue, but his officials and those of other Departments monitor the work of other jurisdictions when looking at how the courts in England, Wales and Scotland should respond to those whose offending is linked with a drug habit.
§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the balance, in terms of Government support, between the harm reduction and harm prevention approaches to drug education. [84221]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthGovernment have a holistic approach to achieving quality standards in the delivery of drug education through the development of a framework of personal, social and health education supported by the National Healthy Schools Standards. This is only one of the many Government initiatives to improve the quantity and effectiveness of drug education.
Substance misuse education mainly involves harm prevention. However with children of secondary school age and particularly those at greater risk, such as school excludees and young offenders, this is balanced with harm reduction messages. These young people are more likely to be experimenting with illegal drugs and so need more detailed information. The Department for Education and Skills are currently reviewing guidance to schools on drug education and new guidance will be issued by the academic year 2003.
§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what hospitality has been accepted by his officials from organisations lobbying for the liberalisation of the drug laws since 1997. [84220]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthNone.
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist assistance is provided for police forces to tackle the sale of illegal drugs. [82931]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthAdvice and assistance in tackling the supply aspects of drug abuse are available to police forces from a number of sources including the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service, and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. Advice on best practice is also available from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Home Office Drugs Strategy Directorate and the Police Standards Unit. Scientific and technical advice and support is available from the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch.
Advice on tracing and confiscating the assets of criminals, including drug traffickers, will be available through the new Asset Recovery Agency when established in February 2003. The Asset Recovery Agency will also train and accredit financial investigators working in law enforcement and other agencies.
871W
§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what co-operation there has been between his Department and the Office of National Drug Control in the United States in the last three years. [82939]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthThe United States and the United Kingdom, along with our European Union partners, have an affirmed commitment to exchange ideas and experiences in combating drug use and drug dependence. Members of our two Governments meet often, and there is extensive co-operation between the US and the UK at official level in a variety of fora. For example, we are both signatories of the United Nations' Conventions on narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, we both participate in meetings of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and we both cooperate through various UN programmes.