Written question asked by Mark Field (Conservative) on Thursday, 17 May 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 21 May 2007. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Monday, 4 June 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drug Interventions Programme: Greater London

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he consulted the Metropolitan police prior to announcing the funding reductions to intensive service drug intervention programmes within London.

Answer: The Metropolitan police receives funding directly from the Home Office, as part of the Drug Interventions Programme, to support drug testing operations in some Metropolitan police custody suites. The Metropolitan police have been consulted about the funding of those services in 2007-08 for which the budget has not been reduced.Where funding streams to drug action team partnerships have been reduced, of which the Metropolitan police are part, representatives of regional Government office in London and the National Treatment Agency were consulted to ensure that local and regional perspectives were taken into account.

Secondary information