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 - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
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.
.
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.
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 estimate he has made of the rate of methadone usage in the last three years.
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.
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 his Department plans to publish a written strategy on tackling new psychoactive substances.
Answered by Steve Brine
The 2017 Drug Strategy sets out a comprehensive approach for local, national and international stakeholders to tackle the challenges illicit drugs place on society. The Strategy recognises the support needed for ageing heroin users and outlines a targeted approach for evolving and emerging threats such as those posed by the emergence of new psychoactive substances. There are no plans to develop separate individual written strategies on these issues.
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, what plans his Department has to support the ageing profile of heroin users; and whether his Department has a written strategy to support ageing heroin users.
Answered by Steve Brine
The 2017 Drug Strategy sets out a comprehensive approach for local, national and international stakeholders to tackle the challenges illicit drugs place on society. The Strategy recognises the support needed for ageing heroin users and outlines a targeted approach for evolving and emerging threats such as those posed by the emergence of new psychoactive substances. There are no plans to develop separate individual written strategies on these issues.