Clause 5 - X-rays and ultrasound scans: England and Wales
Drugs Bill
2:30 pm
Ms Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (reducing organised and international crime, anti drugs co-ordination and international and European issues), Home Office; Don Valley, Labour)
I, too, have done some research over lunch, and it is important to put the issue in context. We anticipate about 100 extended detentions per annum. On the assumption that 50 per cent. of those have an associated X-ray, costing, to use a rough figure based on internet research, £50 each, and that 10 per cent. have an ultrasound scan—a private ultrasound scan for a pregnant woman is reported to be £170; we managed to get that figure together over lunch—we are talking about a total cost per annum of something like £7,000.
My argument has been, first, that there is a deterrent factor to the provision, and that the process will not get as far as the X-ray because people will know that the game is up and that they should plead guilty; and, secondly, that only a small number of people are involved. As to how the police in Greater Manchester work, they currently use accident and emergency departments—