§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it Government policy to ensure that deaths caused by crack cocaine and cocaine are identified separately on death certificates. [86254]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from L. Cook to Lynne Jones, dated 16 December 2002:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about ensuring that deaths caused by crack cocaine and cocaine are identified separately on death certificates. (86254)Deaths that may be due to drug poisoning are referred to the coroner, who has a duty to report on the cause of death on the best available evidence. As part of his investigations the coroner may order tests to be carried out to detect the presence of particular drugs or other toxins. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that these would separately identify whether the cocaine taken in the form of crack cocaine.The Government recognises the concern that precise levels of drug-misuse deaths are not clearly identified due to a lack of available monitored information. As part of an Action Plan to Prevent Drug-related Deaths, £320,000 is being invested in better surveillance and monitoring systems which will allow increased analysis of information from coroners' reports and provide best practice guidance and training to coroners. It is hoped that this will improve the evidence provided by coroners on death certificates to better distinguish different types of drug-misuse deaths, where evidence other than toxicology is available.