§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what research his Department has commissioned into the extent of solvent abuse by children; [169059]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of children in care who engage in solvent abuse. [169061]
§ Margaret HodgeAlthough there is no centrally collected data on the extent of solvent abuse by looked after children, information on the use of volatile substances among young people aged 11–15 years is collected in an annual national survey of secondary school children commissioned by the Department of Health. Latest information is given in the statistical release "Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2003: headline figures" which was published on 31 March 2004. Drug use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2003 http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sddsurvey2003.pdf.