HC Deb 16 December 2002 vol 396 c635W
Dr. Kumar

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many teenagers have tried class A drugs in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the north-east of England and (c) the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East. [86499]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

The 2001–02 British Crime Survey estimates that 11 per cent. of 16 to 19 year-olds in England and Wales have tried a class A drug. The equivalent estimate for the north-east of England is 14 per cent. The difference between theEngland and Wales estimate and the north-east estimate is not statistically significant. These data are not available at constituency level.

The drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2001 survey estimates that six per cent. of school children aged between 11 and 15 years old have tried a class A drug. No geographical breakdown is available for this age group.