Clause 15 - Disclosure of information about assessments
Drugs Bill
11:15 am
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)
Obviously, police intelligence is important. We share statistics about the results of tests for heroin and crack cocaine with the police; we do not link them to individual people, but gain such intelligence in a more global way to indicate the number of people coming through who are using different drugs.
We have already discussed which drugs we test for and why. To move a step further needs consideration, as issues of people's rights to privacy need to be addressed. I take my hon. Friend's point that it is important that we have a sense of what is happening in drug markets in our communities, but more thought is needed on this issue. He is talking not about test results, but about sharing information about people's health and how they are using drugs or substitutes.
In trying to ensure that we clearly track people's progress, particularly if they are dealing with different agencies, we are looking at information sharing protocols that could be established to make sure that the relevant people, who may include GPs, can be part and parcel of the process. My hon. Friend will be aware that when people engage with one person in the system, we often do not get a complete package of understanding about their needs. I agree that we need to ensure that we do not lose people in the system. Where appropriate, information sharing should be encouraged for the benefit of the individual and for an effective programme. I shall think about what he said, and see whether any other issues can be addressed.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 15 ordered to stand part of the Bill.