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Anti-drugs Policy
5. Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham): If he will make a statement on the progress of the Government's anti-drugs policy. [80296]
10. Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield):
When he intends to publish the United Kingdom anti-drugs co-ordinator's first annual report and national plan. [80301]
The Minister for the Cabinet Office (Dr. Jack Cunningham):
The strategy was launched in April last year. The first annual report and national plan will be published shortly.
Mr. Bercow:
Can the right hon. Gentleman confirm that, out of 130 drug offenders referred for assessment for drug treatment and testing orders within the three pilot areas, only 38 have so far been sentenced to such orders? If those figures are accurate, would the right hon. Gentleman agree that available resources might be better channelled into law enforcement measures, thereby providing a more effective deterrent?
Dr. Cunningham:
No, I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman's latter point. As the Government have made clear--and as I repeated in the autumn when I announced the allocation of a further £217 million to the work--we want to shift the burden of resources away from dealing
Mr. Winterton:
Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that the first annual report of the co-ordinator will reassure the people of this country that successful prosecutions are being introduced to deal with people who possess drugs and, even more than that, that the pedlars in death--those who deal in drugs--will be treated most severely, so that the cancer in our society of drug dealing and drug possession is dealt with positively and aggressively?
Dr. Cunningham:
Yes. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the hon. Member for Congleton (Mrs. Winterton) is well briefed by my officials, the Government's drugs tsar and others on the work that we are developing. I know that the hon. Gentleman is closely involved in work on those matters in his constituency. The simple test of the number of prosecutions of people found in possession of drugs is not necessarily the best way to judge the performance of the policy. However, the hon. Gentleman is right to say that we must focus more on breaking up the drug-dealing rings, the drug providers and the importers of drugs, rather than simply picking up the young, innocent victims on the streets.
Dr. Brian Iddon (Bolton, South-East):
Since legally prescribed methadone causes as many, if not more, deaths as heroin when it is misused on the streets, does my right hon. Friend agree with the latest report by the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths that we should look again at the way in which methadone is prescribed? Does he agree with Drugs North-West and others who believe that the Department of Health should look at the licensing of safer alternatives such as levo-methadone, which can be given at 50 per cent. dose, with 50 per cent. of the risk?
Dr. Cunningham:
I will study the report with care, and I acknowledge the important work of my hon. Friend as vice-chairman of the all-party drugs misuse group. To illustrate how much we emphasise the importance that we give to those points, I should point out that, this week, I had a meeting with pharmacists on the very issue of the prescription and dispensing of methadone.
Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West):
Does the Minister think that the present laws on the use of medicinal cannabis by those people who suffer from chronic pain and the foul side effects of chemotherapy are sensible? Is it sensible to send such people to prison, as has happened in the past three months in two instances? Mr. Eric Mann is serving a 12-month prison sentence. He is an intelligent adult who has committed a crime--in the eyes of the law--without a victim. He grew his own cannabis and did not use the illegal market. He decided to use the only medicine that gives him relief from chronic pain. The Government, to their great credit, have decided to hold experiments in the use of medicinal cannabis, so why can we not have an amnesty until we establish that the world's most ancient medicine is effective for medicinal use?
Dr. Cunningham:
I am pleased that my hon. Friend has acknowledged that the Government await the outcome
Mrs. Ann Winterton (Congleton):
Bearing in mind that one of the main planks of the Government's anti-drug strategy is--rightly--education, what assessment has the Minister or the anti-drugs co-ordinator made of the effectiveness of anti-drug programmes run by local education authorities, compared with those run by life education centres or Drug Abuse Resistance Education--DARE? Does he agree that the emphasis in all anti-drug education should be not merely damage limitation but proactive resistance to the taking of drugs?
Dr. Cunningham:
I very much agree with the latter point. As for the hon. Lady's former point, a wide variety of drug education schemes are run and we do not prescribe what those schemes should be. As she will know, some are provided by voluntary organisations. I am considering with my colleagues in the Department for Education and Employment how we can improve drugs education in schools, but the principal objective must be to persuade young people that it is not in their interest to get involved in drugs in the first place.
6. Jacqui Smith (Redditch):
What plans he has to promote one-stop shops for Government services. [80297]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Peter Kilfoyle):
The "Modernising Government" White Paper, launched on 30 March, contains a number of initiatives to encourage joint working between central and local government, including one-stop shops. There will be a drive to eliminate obstacles to joined-up working, including a more co-ordinated approach to property management, and a second round of the invest-to-save budget to fund new projects that involve partnership working.
Jacqui Smith:
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer, especially the emphasis on co-ordination between central and local government. Can he assure me that central Government will be willing to learn from best practice in local authorities, such as that undertaken by Redditch borough council, which is setting up a one-stop shop and working with local partners such as the county council, the police, the citizens advice bureau and the Employment Service? The council is also incorporating automatic information systems to deal with local people's inquiries in one visit. Will central Government be willing to undertake the necessary investment in technology to enable local people to access central Government services and information in the Redditch one-stop shop?
Mr. Kilfoyle:
We recognise that service delivery is undertaken as much by local authorities as by national Government Departments or their agencies. To that end, we are working closely with the local authorities which have been part of the process of devising the White Paper from the outset. I recently launched the infoshop pilots, which are being tested in 16 different local authorities.
Mr. Ian Bruce (South Dorset):
What are the Government doing towards employing information technology--which can make one-stop shops a reality--to join up the various services? Has the Minister ever pretended to be an ordinary member of the public and telephoned his Department to get information? An audit exercise such as that would help him to assess how easy it is to get information from his Department.
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Yes, we audit how effective the Cabinet Office is in responding to people's inquiries, regardless of whether they are Members of Parliament or members of the public. The White Paper "Modernising Government" contained a technology component, and we have taken two important and basic steps towards its implementation. For the first time, we have looked towards establishing an information technology strategy for the whole of Government. We have also insisted that a senior person of board level in each Department be appointed to drive through the implementation of new technology and to monitor its effect on the delivery of services.
7. Mr. John Grogan (Selby):
If he will make a statement concerning the better regulation unit's report on liquor licensing. [80298]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Peter Kilfoyle):
The Government's response of 29 October 1998 welcomed the task force report. The Home Office is committed to acting on the report's short-term recommendations and has launched a wider review of liquor licensing to examine the long-term recommendations.
Mr. Grogan:
Does my hon. Friend agree that the experience in Scotland over the past 25 years of a more flexible system of regulation of the opening and closing hours of public houses reinforces the need for modernisation of the laws in England and Wales? As Allan Charlesworth, the serving police officer who chaired the better regulation working party pointed out, closing all the pubs at 11 pm means that large numbers of people spill out on to the streets at the same time, which increases the chances of public disorder.
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I certainly agree that there is a lot to be learned from the experience in Scotland and elsewhere. The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth), who is charged with handling the report, is examining those lessons in great detail. They will be applied, in both the short and the long terms, when licensing hours are reviewed.
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