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7 Nov 2002 : Column 826W—continued

Drug Treatment

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total annual cost per drug treatment place, broken down by treatment type, is in 2002–03. [79573]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information in the format requested is not available. Data is held on the cost per week and the average cost per individual is as follows:

Residential treatment costs between #250 and #1000 per week, depending on the services provided. These range from a hostel place supported by out-patient treatment, to in-patient treatment including medical services.

In 2002–01 there were 118,500 individuals reported as in contact with treatment agencies, at a cost of #310 million. This provides an average cost of #2,616 per individual.

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Drug Treatment and Testing Orders

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been imprisoned for breaches of drug treatment and testing orders; [78486]

Hilary Benn: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given to judges and magistrates on the enforcement of drug treatment and testing orders in relation to prison overcrowding. [78599]

Hilary Benn: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Drug Treatment Places

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment places were available in each year since 1997, broken down by treatment type. [79572]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information in the format requested is not available.

Data is currently held on the estimated number of people in all treatment types as follows:





The National Treatment Association (NTA) was set up in 2001 to substantially increase treatment provision.

Drugs (Government Targets)

Paul Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the progress made in achieving Government targets on drugs use and harm announced in 1998. [79403]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth : Information on progress against current Government targets concerning the misuse of drugs can be found in the Home Office Annual Report 2001–2002, a copy of which is in the Library. The section related to drugs, Aim 5, is on pages 170 and 171.

The Government has recently undertaken a review of the drugs strategy, progress against targets, their balance and focus. We will be publishing an updated strategy later this year.

Drugs Education Programmes

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) Operation CHARLIE and (b) other anti-drugs education programmes in reducing drug use in those who took part in them in each of the past five years. [79404]

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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The results of three major drug education programmes, developed by the Home Office, have been published during the past five years.

In 1997, the Home Office published an evaluation of Project CHARLIE (Chemical Abuse Resolution Lies in Education). This project involved 44 children in primary schools in Hackney between 1991 and 1993. Four years after the programme both tobacco and illegal drug use were significantly lower among Project CHARLIE children than among pupils who had not been involved in the project.

In 2001, final results of the NE Choices programme were published. This prevention programme, based in the north-east of England, was targeted at young people aged between 13 and 16. There was no evidence of an impact of the programme on the overall prevalence of drug use. However, a small proportion (2 per cent.) of pupils changed their drug taking behaviour from consumption of Class A drugs to the use of cannabis, solvents or nitrites or to non-use.

Similar findings are found in the 2002 results of the evaluation of the Integrated Programme (IP). The IP is based on North American evidence that school programmes that are reinforced by parent involvement and community engagement have an impact on reducing drug taking. The IP was designed and delivered to adolescents in Northern England during 1998 to 1999. The IP was a demonstration project that was too small to generate significant reductions in prevalence. However, the results suggest that young people who received the IP were more likely to reduce harder drug use and maintain a lower-risk drug-taking repertoire than those who had not participated in the programme.

Since these three projects were commissioned, an overview of international research has been completed. This identified two prevention programmes with the greatest impact on behaviour which had been developed in the United States. On the basis of this evidence, the Government have established a research programme called XBlueprint". This will determine whether elements of US Xwhat works" programmes: (1) can be implemented within the UK settings; (2) have potential to be effective in reducing drug use, and (3) have added value for schools, parents and young people.

Electronic Tagging

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted persons were subject to electronic tags as at (a) 30 September 2001 and (b) 30 September 2002. [76997]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 28 October 2002]: The number of convicted persons who were subject to electronic tags was 3,219 on 30 September 2001 and 5,130 on 30 September 2002.

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to (a) judges and (b) magistrates on the imposition of sentences involving electronic tagging; and if he will make a statement. [76998]

Hilary Benn: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

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Emergency Telephone Numbers

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been done into the provision of a second emergency telephone number to work in conjunction with 999. [41946]

Mr. Denham: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

EU Citizenship

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the award of EU citizenship to individuals from third countries residing inside the European Union. [80044]

Beverley Hughes: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of England

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to grant dispensation to the member churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England to register under the Charities Act 1993 as individual charities making individual returns and submitting individual accounts. [80319]

Beverley Hughes: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Feltham Young Offenders Institution

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people are detained at Feltham Young Offenders Institute; and if he will provide a breakdown of this figure by ethnic origin. [45715]

Hilary Benn: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Female Prison Population

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what he attributes the recent rise in the female prison population. [43535]

Hilary Benn: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Rural Policing

Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact he estimates the focus on the fight against urban crime will have on policing rural areas. [76948]

Mr. Denham: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Fine Default

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) men and (b) women were jailed in England and Wales for fine default in each year since 1990. [20288]

Hilary Benn: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

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Fireworks

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of damage to property were caused by fireworks in (a) the last 12 months and (b) each of the preceding five years. [77972]

Mr. Denham: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.


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