Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Benyon (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 11 June 2007 on behalf of the Home Office.

Acceptable Behaviour Orders

Question: Acceptable behaviour orders may or may not be effective against some burglars, but what is beyond doubt is that many burglaries and other crimes are drug related. The Home Office has rightly taken up concerns about rising crime rates in my area, but at the same time has cut funding to the drug intervention programme by 11.5 per cent. in this financial year—with very little warning to the drug action team or other local drug and alcohol advisory teams. Is that not a bad example of joined-up government?

Answer: Before 2003, there was no such thing as a drug intervention programme. Furthermore, the £149 million that I believe we are spending on drug intervention programmes means that, for the first time, people arrested for drug-related offences now have an intervention programme that not only treats their drug-related addiction, but punishes them for the criminal activity that they have undertaken.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 461 c509
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Crime Finance Drugs Drug interventions programme First offenders Acceptable behaviour contracts Burglary Punishment
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk