Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the level of seizures required to put a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business.
Answered by Ben Wallace
The level of seizures required putting a successful drug trafficker of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) ecstasy out of business is impossible to estimate.
There are a number of variables which can affect the impact of disruptive activity.
Such variables include the type of commodity seized, for example drugs or cash/assets, the size and influence of a particular drug trafficking business and the roles of those arrested and convicted as a result of any seizure.
The Home Office recognises that disruption is not the only method for targeting SOC activity. The SOC strategy which was published in November 2018 outlines a set of capabilities which are designed to respond to the full range of serious and organised crime threats, including those posed by drug traffickers.
It highlights our four overarching objectives to achieve our aim:
1. Relentlessly disrupt and target action against highest harm and serious and organised criminal networks
2. Build the highest levels of defence and resilience in vulnerable people, communities, business and systems
3. Stop the problem at source, identifying and supporting those at risk of engaging in criminality
4. Establish a single whole-system approach, expanding our global reach and pooling skills and expertise with the private sector
In taking this approach, we aim to protect our citizens and our prosperity by leaving no safe space for serious and organised criminals to operate against us.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 191442 on Diamorphine: Glasgow, what the guidelines are on chronic heroin addiction treatment plans as a condition of his Department permitting a diamorphine prescribing licence to local authorities.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The issue of ‘prescriber’ licences was devolved to the Scottish Ministers in 2012. The timeline for a decision on any prescriber licence or any conditions to be assigned to that licence are matters for Scottish Government.
Any controlled drugs licenses required by the organisation at a specific premises to possess and supply controlled drugs are a matter for the Home Office.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the supply of (a) cannabis, (b) heroin, (c) cocaine and (d) ecstasy that was seized in each year since 2008.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In the annual ‘Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales), the total amounts of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy seized in each year are provided. However, no estimate has been made of the proportion of the total supply which such seizures represent.
The Home Office does not hold information on the total amount of drugs imported into the UK in each year. (ii) Estimates on the prevalence and frequency of drug use in England and Wales are published in in the annual ‘Drug Misuse’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-misuse-declared), but not on the total quantity of drugs consumed each year.
In a 2013 Home Office report ‘Understanding Organised Crime’ (which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246390/horr73.pdf), the value of the illicit supply of various categories of drugs were estimated, which include heroin, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. The methodology can be found in Annex 2 of the report.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate his Department has made of the quantity of (a) heroin, (b) cannabis, (c) cocaine and (d) ecstasy that was (i) imported into and (ii) consumed in the UK in each year since 2003.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In the annual ‘Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales), the total amounts of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy seized in each year are provided. However, no estimate has been made of the proportion of the total supply which such seizures represent.
The Home Office does not hold information on the total amount of drugs imported into the UK in each year. (ii) Estimates on the prevalence and frequency of drug use in England and Wales are published in in the annual ‘Drug Misuse’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-misuse-declared), but not on the total quantity of drugs consumed each year.
In a 2013 Home Office report ‘Understanding Organised Crime’ (which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246390/horr73.pdf), the value of the illicit supply of various categories of drugs were estimated, which include heroin, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. The methodology can be found in Annex 2 of the report.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what methodology his Department uses to estimate the size in (a) value and (b) weight of the illegal supply of (i) heroin, (ii) cannabis, (iii) cocaine and (iv) ecstasy to the UK.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In the annual ‘Seizures of Drugs in England and Wales’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales), the total amounts of cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy seized in each year are provided. However, no estimate has been made of the proportion of the total supply which such seizures represent.
The Home Office does not hold information on the total amount of drugs imported into the UK in each year. (ii) Estimates on the prevalence and frequency of drug use in England and Wales are published in in the annual ‘Drug Misuse’ publication (which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-misuse-declared), but not on the total quantity of drugs consumed each year.
In a 2013 Home Office report ‘Understanding Organised Crime’ (which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246390/horr73.pdf), the value of the illicit supply of various categories of drugs were estimated, which include heroin, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy. The methodology can be found in Annex 2 of the report.
Asked by: Paul Sweeney (Labour (Co-op) - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a legal exemption will be required for the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership to prescribe and supervise the consumption of diamorphine for the treatment of chronic heroin addiction by street drug users who present to a clinic of that partnership.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government supports local areas that prescribe diamorphine as part of a treatment plan for those with a chronic heroin addiction. Prescription of diamorphine is a clinical decision and is permitted through Home Office licenced premises. An application to licence premises, for this purpose, is currently being considered.
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Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate funding to local authorities that plan to implement heroin assisted treatment.
Answered by Steve Brine
Local authorities are responsible for making decisions on how to spend their allocation of the public health grant based on the needs of their local population. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug treatment to meet those needs, including heroin assisted treatment services.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of (a) needle and syringe programmes for people with addictions and (b) people whom those programmes cover.
Answered by Steve Brine
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of needle and syringe programmes, and take-home naloxone to prevent overdose deaths from heroin and other opioids.
The Government is encouraging and supporting local areas to maintain needle and syringe programmes, and expand the provision of naloxone with guidance, advice and tools.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the number of take-home naloxone programmes; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of needle and syringe programmes, and take-home naloxone to prevent overdose deaths from heroin and other opioids.
The Government is encouraging and supporting local areas to maintain needle and syringe programmes, and expand the provision of naloxone with guidance, advice and tools.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the rates of recovery from heroin addiction through methadone in the UK and other countries.
Answered by Steve Brine
No comparative assessment has been made of the rates of recovery from heroin addiction through methadone in the United Kingdom and other countries.
There has been no estimate made of the general rate of methadone usage in the last three years.