§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many teenagers he estimates have tried class A drugs in the(a) Leeds West constituency and (b) the city of Leeds in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [96973]
§ Mr. Bob AinsworthData on drug use by teenagers is not available at constituency or city level. The following table provides information about the percentage of 16–19 year olds who have ever tried a Class A drug in(a) Yorkshire and Humberside and. (b) England and Wales reported as part of the British Crime Survey (BCS).
Percentage of 16–19 year olds who have ever tried a Class A drug Percentage BCS 1998 BCS 2000 BCS 2001–02 Yorkshire and Humberside 27 17 10 England and Wales 16 14 11 It should not be concluded from any of these results that young people in Yorkshire and Humberside are any more or less likely to have ever tried a Class A drug. In 1998 and 2000 particularly the regional result is based on a very small sample (57 and 58 16–19 year olds respectively) which may not be representative of the population in this area.
For the same reason, the apparent dramatic decline in the percentage of 16–19 year olds having ever tried a Class A drug in the Yorkshire and Humberside region over the three surveys, should be treated with caution.
128W"The Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2001 "survey estimates that 6 per cent. of school children aged between 11 and 15 years olds have tried a class A drug. No geographical breakdown is available for this age group.