HC Deb 06 May 2004 vol 420 c1694W
James Purnell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Stalybridge and Hyde are receiving drug treatment; and what public funds were spent on tackling drugs misuse in Stalybridge and Hyde in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 2003–04. [168734]

Caroline Flint

Stalybridge and Hyde is part of Tameside Drug Action Team. There were 733 people receiving drug treatment in Tameside in 2000–01. This is the latest available data. Data broken down by Drug Action Team for 2001–02 and 2002–03 have not yet been finalised and published.

Breakdown of financial allocation to local constituencies is not available in the form requested as funding is allocated to Drug Action Team (DAT) area.

The figure spent on tackling drug misuse in 1997–98 in West Pennine, which covered Oldham and Tameside, was £279,000. This was prior to the formation of the National Drugs Strategy, and this figure has been provided from locally held information.

In 2003–04 the figures for Tameside as a whole were:

£
Pooled Treatment 921,000
Young People 169,000
Building Safer Communities1 267,000
DAT CAD 31,000
DAT Development 40,000
Throughcare and Aftercare 35,000
Total 1,463,000
1Please note that the Building Safer Communities Fund is only partly spent on tackling drugs.

In order to ensure consistency figures supplied are based on funding streams associated with the National Drug Strategy and are readily verifiable. These funding streams are specifically targeted at tackling the harm caused to individuals, families and communities by the misuse of drugs. Other mainstream funding is made available at a local level, this varies and both in amount and origin as a result it is not possible to provide robust financial information.