§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many teenagers he estimates have tried class A drugs in the(a) Twickenham constituency, (b) London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and (c) London; and if he will make a statement. [88825]
§ Mr. Bob Ainsworth[holding answer 13 January 2003]The 2001/02 British Crime Survey estimates that 9 per cent. of 16 to 19 year-olds in London have at some time tried a class A drug. The equivalent estimate for the whole of England and Wales is 11 per cent. The difference between the England and Wales estimate and the London estimate is not statistically significant. These data are not available at constituency or borough level.
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 old have tried a class A drug. No geographical breakdown is available for this age group.