Heroin Addiction (Hansard, 23 January 2002)

§ Mr. Paul Murphy

There is currently no statutory requirement in the UK to report drug users to any central database; therefore there are no comprehensive data for heroin addiction in Wales.

There is a report from the Welsh Drug Misuse Database (WDMD) for the years 1999 and 2000, which offered an analysis of reports from reporting agencies to the WDMD relating to problem drug users who presented for help and treatment during 1999 and 2000. The increase shown in heroin as a main drug in treatment cases does not necessarily indicate a rise in the number of people dependent on the drug.

In May 2000, an 8-year strategy was published by the National Assembly entitled: "Tackling Substance Misuse in Wales: A Partnership Approach". The strategy covers not only illegal drugs but also alcohol, over-the-counter and prescription drugs and volatile substances. The four aims of the strategy embrace those of the UK strategy Tackling Drugs to build a better Britain.

The National Assembly made £2 million available through the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Fund (DATF) in 2001–02 to support drug and alcohol treatment services in Wales and to improve access to treatment, particularly for vulnerable young people. The fund is administered through Drug and Alcohol Action Teams (DAATs) and has supported many treatment services including those who provide services to people with a heroin dependency. This fund is in addition to expenditure from key agencies including health, the police and probation.