Written question asked by Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 9 February 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2004. It was answered by Caroline Flint (Labour) on Thursday, 12 February 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the costs of criminal activity in connection with heroin use in each of the last five years. - Includes figures.

Answer: Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the costs of criminal activity in connection with heroin use in each of the last five years. [154829] Caroline Flint: Estimates of the costs of drug-related crime are not available annually, nor are they available by individual drug. However, a recent study published by the Home Office provides estimates of the total economic and social costs of Class A drug use and puts these in the range of £10.1 billion to £17.4 billion for the year 2000. The majority of these costs are attributable to heroin and crack cocaine users. The total figure includes the costs of drug-related crime, which are estimated to fall in the range £8.8 billion to £15.8 billion. The costs of drug-related crime include victim costs and those accruing to courts, prisons and other parts of the criminal justice system.

Secondary information