The National Drug Strategy focuses on tackling all drugs of dependency, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Services should be responsive to the needs of the individual, irrespective of an individual's route to dependence.

The determination of a diagnosis of dependence is a clinical judgment. It does not depend on the cause of dependence, although this would be a consideration in care planning.

The system of classification commonly used by practitioners in the United Kingdom for such diagnoses is the International Classification of Diseases System (ICD-10), developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). ICD-10 gives clear criteria for a diagnosis of tranquilliser dependence under code F13.2—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of sedative hypnotics.

These guidelines suggest that a cluster of three or more problems are required for a definite diagnosis of dependence. Anyone identified with a tranquilliser withdrawal syndrome who is showing two other listed problems would meet these ICD-10 criteria for dependence.

It has not been possible to establish a definite prevalence estimate of dependency on prescription or over the counter medicine. However, the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) does collect information on the numbers of people in structured treatment for drug dependence.

The analyses for the report on Addiction to Medicine which was published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse on 11 May 2011 identified NDTMS data about the treatment of people being treated for addiction to medicines. It is not possible to analyse NDTMS data by parliamentary constituency. Information recorded on NDTMS about numbers treated for addiction to medicine in the local drug partnerships which include the constituencies listed by the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) is given in the following table.

The columns headed "licit only" show the numbers of people treated for dependence to prescribed or over-the-counter medicine when there is no concurrent use of illicit drugs. The columns headed "licit and illicit" show the numbers of people treated for dependence who are using licit and illicit drugs concurrently. The methodology for analysing the NDTMS data is explained in Annex 1 of the NTA's report in May 2011.

Services to treat dependence are commissioned locally. Information about whether service providers organise clinics or sessions specifically for people addicted to medicine is not collected centrally.