Written question asked by Lord Lilley (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 January 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 January 2001. It was answered by Charles Clarke (Labour) on Monday, 29 January 2001 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the per capita level of expenditure on drug-related law enforcement in the (i) UK, (ii) Netherlands and (iii) USA in the last 12 months for which figures are available. - Inc figures and ref to "Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain" (Cm 3945).

Answer: Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the per capita level of expenditure on drug-related law enforcement in the (i) UK, (ii) Netherlands and (iii) USA in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [147752] Mr. Charles Clarke: Precise data on expenditure on drug-related law enforcement are not available. The launch of the Government's drugs strategy, "Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain" (Cm 3945) in April 1998 included the estimate that total Government expenditure for 1997-98 was in the region of £1.4 billion. Of this, 62 per cent. was estimated to be spent on drug-related law enforcement. Comparable information relating to the Netherlands and the USA cannot be provided.

Secondary information