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25 Feb 2003 : Column 398W—continued

Drink-driving Offences

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) drink-driving offences were recorded in each year since 1997 by the police constabulary and (b) successful prosecutions there have been in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [98488]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Available information on the number of proceedings and convictions for offences of driving whilst impaired by drink or drugs or driving above the specified limit for alcohol in England and Wales is given in the table by police force area. The data cannot be disaggregated between alcohol or drug offences.

Matters related to Scotland are for the Scottish Executive.

25 Feb 2003 : Column 399W

Proceedings at Magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1 by police force area, England and Wales, 1997 to 2001

	1997		1998		1999		2000		2001
Policeforce area	Proceed-ings	Findings of guilt	Proceed-ings	Findings of guilt	Proceed-ings	Findings of guilt	Proceed-ings	Findings of guilt	Proceed-ings	Findings of guilt
Avon and Somerset	3,114	2,812	2,832	2,566	2,971	2,728	2,719	2,462	2,403	2,197
Bedfordshire	1,323	1,146	1,167	1,060	961	869	884	797	1,013	914
Cambridgeshire	1,175	1,092	1,145	1,060	1,022	941	882	793	880	813
Cheshire	2,165	1,969	2,094	1,903	2,002	1,827	1,899	1,652	1,753	1,529
Cleveland	1,029	926	947	870	912	811	858	777	973	887
Cumbria	1,017	931	927	856	925	871	874	806	810	761
Derbyshire	1,852	1,612	1,695	1,547	1,613	1,463	1,599	1,417	1,612	1,411
Devon and Cornwall	2,637	2,342	2,531	2,265	2,507	2,277	2,421	2,199	2,594	2,369
Dorset	1,355	1,214	1,310	1,186	1,223	1,120	1,244	1,115	1,284	1,150
Durham	1,140	1,044	1,134	1,035	1,251	1,137	1,218	1,124	1,181	1,097
Essex	3,010	2,736	2,776	2,438	2,835	2,528	2,702	2,462	2,717	2,456
Gloucestershire	1,169	1,067	1,079	985	971	889	891	804	950	865
Greater Manchester	5,235	4,806	5,117	4,715	5,254	4,850	5,186	4,801	5,236	4,715
Hampshire	4,099	3,774	3,920	3,597	4,062	3,725	3,812	3,472	3,820	3,464
Hertfordshire	1,844	1,670	1,835	1,672	1,827	1,679	1,691	1,552	1,826	1,666
Humberside	1,411	1,274	1,473	1,358	1,410	1,323	1,468	1,371	1,355	1,259
Kent	2,533	2,321	2,853	2,627	2,851	2,633	2,807	2,592	2,861	2,575
Lancashire	3,684	3,389	3,204	2,945	3,290	3,010	2,879	2,584	2,570	2,304
Leicestershire	1,782	1,648	1,615	1,485	1,778	1,624	1,651	1,531	1,730	1,546
Lincolnshire	1,206	1,088	1,074	979	1,031	941	911	816	991	877
London, City of	463	436	338	301	259	236	193	162	182	162
Merseyside	3,113	2,719	2,760	2,451	2,369	2,137	2,515	2,128	2,513	2,195
Metropolitan Police	18,987	16,165	16,433	13,889	14,720	12,414	14,166	11,801	13,744	11,260
Norfolk	1,174	1,116	1,197	1,118	1,070	1,010	1,014	935	1,293	1,143
Northamptonshire	1,245	1,107	1,230	1,062	1,228	1,058	898	782	464	399
Northumbria	2,973	2,625	2,786	2,457	2,793	2,463	2,958	2,621	2,850	2,529
North Yorkshire	1,481	1,365	1,319	1,205	1,229	1,124	1,160	1,073	1,158	1,066
Nottinghamshire	2,270	2,031	2,013	1,804	2,026	1,802	1,915	1,722	1,786	1,598
South Yorkshire	2,581	2,296	2,188	2,002	2,076	1,927	2,322	2,122	2,231	2,020
Staffordshire	2,302	2,036	2,163	1,955	1,885	1,711	(5)—	(5)—	1,673	1,513
Suffolk	1,156	1,050	1,146	1,042	1,187	1,089	1,002	902	1,049	920
Surrey	1,512	1;380	1,455	1,328	1,538	1,417	1,729	1,539	2,055	1,592
Sussex	2,658	2,373	2,344	2,113	2,440	2,224	2,327	2,112	2,635	2,358
Thames Valley	4,564	4,070	4,355	3,896	4,192	3,725	3,921	3,496	3,681	3,275
Warwickshire	908	837	855	784	927	856	855	786	955	880
West Mercia	2,093	1,947	1,946	1,794	1,867	1,747	1,741	1,631	1,874	1,740
West Midlands	7,185	6,351	6,348	5,582	5,470	4,775	5,212	4,559	5,604	4,914
West Yorkshire	4,395	3,953	4,100	3,669	4,018	3,597	3,798	3,375	3,739	3,220
Wiltshire	1,120	1,043	1,184	1,108	1,067	1,009	997	930	1,127	1,045
Total England	104,960	93,761	96,888	86,709	93,057	83,567	89,329	79,671	89,172	78,684
Dyfed Powys	1,163	1,029	1,102	995	1,047	944	985	858	973	867
Gwent	1,268	1,166	1,336	1,203	1,226	1,079	1,341	1,211	1,297	1,152
North Wales	1,496	1,354	1,410	1,306	1,347	1,248	1,430	1,332	1,366	1,227
South Wales	3,238	2,892	3,309	2,903	2,823	2,526	3,075	2,757	3,175	2,812
Total Wales	7,165	6,441	7,157	6,407	6,443	5,797	6,831	6,158	6,811	6,058
Total England and Wales	112,125	100,202	104,045	93,116	99,500	89,364	96,160	85,829	95,983	84,742

⁽⁴⁾ Including offences under Road Traffic Act 1988 sec 4(1) and (2); 5(1)(a) and (b); 6(4); 7(6):

Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle whilst unfit through drink or drugs (impairment).

Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit.

Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle.

In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment).

In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit.

In charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle.

Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test.

Excluding offences under Road Traffic Act 1988 sec 3A:

Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.

⁽⁵⁾ Not available (Staffordshire were only able to submit data for a sample of weeks in 2000).

25 Feb 2003 : Column 401W

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what studies his Department has undertaken in relation to drink-driving offences from the sale of alcohol from (a) supermarkets, (b) off-licences and (c) petrol filling station forecourts; and if he will make a statement. [98489]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No studies have been undertaken on the commission of drink-driving offences relating to alcohol purchased from different retail categories. However, the Home Office has commissioned research that determines where people had been drinking on the most recent occasion they had driven after drinking alcohol: at home; at someone else's home; in a pub/pubs; in a restaurant; in a nightclub/club; outside in a public place (e.g. park, street); or a specified other. The results are currently undergoing analysis.

The Home Office remains committed to combating drink-driving and shall maintain an emphasis on effective enforcement and publicity. The UK has shown that a combination of rigid enforcement and advertising campaigns has a dramatic effect on reducing the numbers of killed and seriously injured in crashes involving illegal levels of alcohol, although we acknowledge there is still much to do. We are currently looking at the possibilities for helping effective enforcement of drink drive legislation, for example, by introducing roadside evidential testing.

Drugs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of interventions through the criminal justice system is for a Class A drug misuser before (a) treatment, (b) a drug treatment and testing order and (c) a prison sentence is imposed. [98150]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information is not available in the form requested. A range of interventions has been developed at key stages in the criminal justice system which seek to identify and engage drug misusers, particularly those using Class A drugs, in order to access them into drug treatment delivered within a community or custodial setting. Pro-active arrest referral schemes, drug treatment and testing orders, and prison treatment services are available throughout England and Wales. Drug testing under the provisions introduced by the

25 Feb 2003 : Column 402W

Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (including testing after charge and pre-sentence) is being piloted and implemented only in certain areas.

In the Updated Drug Strategy 2002 the Government set out a comprehensive new programme of criminal justice interventions with a view to delivering an integrated "end to end system" aimed at getting drug misusers out of crime into effective treatment.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for merging drug action teams and crime reduction partnerships; and if he will make a statement. [98083]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Police Reform Act, from 1 April 2003, places a statutory responsibility on local authorities, police and others to formulate and implement a drugs strategy mirroring their responsibility for crime and disorder strategies. Multi-agency partnerships are the most effective way of delivering these strategies, but we currently support separate ones for drugs (149 Drug Action Teams in England) and (376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales). To reduce burdens on partnerships, ensure they are properly resourced and reduce overlaps in the delivery of community safety, this Government believe that partnerships should be brought together, through merger or, where that is truly not feasible, by developing closer working arrangements.

Many partnerships have merged or will have merged by 1 April 2003. Others, particularly in two tier authorities, are building on already close working relationships, in discussion with Local Strategic Partnerships, where they exist. We expect that, by April 2003, there will have been a complete overhaul in the way partnerships function, and to see improvements in delivery of the National Drug Strategy and local crime and disorder strategies.

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been through the court system for (a) possession, (b) dealing and (c) trafficking of illegal drugs in each of the last five years. [98178]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The numbers of people proceeded against for possession, dealing and trafficking in illegal drugs in England and Wales in the last five available years are shown in the table.

Numbers of people proceeded against for drug offences, England and Wales, 1996–2000

Offence	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Possession(6)	26,927	33,125	43,516	44,603	40,738
Dealing(7)	2,148	2,233	3,875	3,644	2,707
Trafficking(8)	4,067	4,033	5,561	5,021	3,728

⁽⁶⁾ The term 'possession' refers to those proceeded against for unlawful possession.

⁽⁷⁾ The term 'dealing' refers to those proceeded against for unlawful supply, possession with intent to supply unlawfully and unlawful import/export.

⁽⁸⁾ The term 'trafficking' refers to those proceeded against for unlawful production, unlawful supply, possession with intent to supply unlawfully and unlawful import/export.

Source:

Home Office Research, Development, and Statistics.

25 Feb 2003 : Column 403W

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been to prison for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in each of the last five years; and what proportion of these people were from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. [98179]

25 Feb 2003 : Column 404W

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The table shows the prison population in England and Wales under sentence and remand for drug offences ¹ .

Year(9)	White	Black	South Asian	Chinese and other	Unrecorded	Total
1998	6,907	1,783	438	548	0	9,676
1999	6,823	2,054	430	588	6	9,901
2000	6,798	2,189	456	607	5	10,055
2001	6,803	2,611	512	643	6	10,575
2002	6,860	3,511	680	461	8	11,520

⁽⁹⁾ June for each year

Source:

Prison Population Monthly Brief June 2002

⁽¹⁰⁾ Includes all drug offences

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment and testing orders have been issued to (a) heroin addicts, (b) crack cocaine addicts and (c) poly-drug users since the scheme began. [98148]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Between 1 October 2000 and 31 December 2002 (which is the latest month for which figures are available) 10,525 orders were made. Information relating to the proportion of Drug Treatment and Testing orders issued to heroin, crack or poly-drug users is not available centrally.

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