§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many kilograms of(a) heroin and (b) cocaine were seized by Merseyside police in each of the past five years; and how many arrests were made in each year. [121624]
§ Caroline FlintKilograms of(a) heroin and (b) cocaine seized by Merseyside police in each year from 1997 to 2001 are shown in the table. Information on arrests for drug offences does not separately identify individual drugs. However, data provided in the table show persons found guilty or cautioned for possession of (a) heroin and (b) cocaine in the Merseyside police area from 1997–2000.
The data on seizures and offenders for 1997–2000 are taken from the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin, and on seizures for 2001 from Finding 202, "Seizures of Drugs in the UK 2001". These are available on the RDS website and in the Library (http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb402.pdf and http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r202.pdf)
Number of persons found guilty and cautioned for unlawful possession of heroin and cocaine and quantities in kilograms seized
in Merseyside by year
Cocaine Heroin Quantity (kg) Offenders Quantity (kg) Offenders 1997 5.6 141 8.6 263 1998 3.5 209 3.4 368 1999 2.8 217 13.7 316 2000 16.1 223 3.5 365 2001 27.3 1— 7.1 1— 12001 data on offenders are not yet available. Source:
Home Office Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, United Kingdom—Area Tables.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department makes money seized from drug dealers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 available to fund additional places in drug rehabilitation clinics for addicts. [121625]
§ Caroline FlintCriminal assets recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are paid into the Consolidated Fund. There are no plans for money recovered from drug dealers to be used to fund additional places in drug rehabilitation clinics. However, money from recovered assets is currently being used to fund a number of anti-drugs projects and will in future go to the Home Office to help fund core expenditure programmes, including crime reduction and policing.
Significant funding is being invested into the improvement of drugs treatment services. The annual spending on all treatment services, including treatment in prisons and supervised opiate substitute prescribing schemes, has increased considerably and is now over £500 million per annum.