Written question asked by Paul Keetch (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 7 November 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 November 2000. It was answered by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 November 2000 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how often are members of (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF tested for the use of controlled substances; which controlled substances are tested for; which testing kits are used; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often are members of (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF tested for the use of controlled substances; which controlled substances are tested for; which testing kits are used; and if he will make a statement. [137862] Mr. Spellar: The Army aims to test all personnel annually for drugs. Units that are deemed to be at higher risk by nature of their location or their previous Compulsory Drug Testing (CDT) record may be subject to more frequent testing. The Naval Service aims to conduct random testing in every ship and establishment at least annually, with some establishments subject to more regular testing, and this year plans to test approximately 30 per cent. of its personnel. The RAF aims to test 25 per cent. of its personnel annually. The services conduct their random CDT agenda as part of a rolling programme. Currently, the tri-service programme tests routinely for: Cannabis, Cocaine, Amphetamines (including Ecstasy), Benzodiazepines and one of either Opiates or LSD. The drug testing process utilises Microgenics Clonable Enzyme Doner Immune-Assay (CEDIA) technology. Previous immuno-assay technologies utilised were Syva's EMTII and Roche's ONLINE. Samples that screen positive are then confirmed by Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). A sample will be reported positive only after the presence of drugs has been verified by the confirmatory GC/MS process.

Secondary information