Written question asked by Humfrey Malins (Conservative) on Thursday, 22 March 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 26 March 2007. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Thursday, 29 March 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs: Rehabilitation Centres

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will undertake an audit of the availability of beds for convicted offenders in residential rehabilitation centres.

Answer: Figures relating to the number of these beds which are occupied by convicted defendants are not held centrally and an audit would not be cost-effective.Nationally, there are around 120 drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation services in the community with approximately 3,000 bed spaces. These are available to individual drug misusers in the community, including convicted defendants as part of a community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR)/drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) or post-custodial licence, where assessed as suitable on an individual basis by a qualified professional.

Secondary information