The Government has not made an estimate of trends in the number of individuals who take new psychoactive substances (NPS), or so-called “legal highs”, moving on to take illegal drugs.

The Government takes the issue of NPS use very seriously and is leading the global effort to tackle the threat they pose. Although sometimes referred to as "legal highs", NPS cannot be assumed to be safe and often contain a mixture of substances including controlled drugs.

We are working with the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to develop our evidence base and with wider partners to target these drugs on all fronts. The NPS Action Plan, which provides the framework for Government activity, sets out how we aim to reduce demand by raising awareness of the harms associated with NPS; make it difficult to obtain and supply NPS that pose risks to health; and ensure that statutory services are able to effectively provide treatment and recovery.

The information which is collected centrally about hospital admissions does not separately identify newer substances such as legal highs or identify whether a drug has been taken legally or illegally. For example, the information collected on opiate related admissions does not distinguish between opiates that have been prescribed for a medical reason and opiates taken to get 'high'.

The information which is collected centrally about hospital admissions does not separately identify newer substances such as legal highs or identify whether a drug has been taken legally or illegally. For example, the information collected on opiate related admissions does not distinguish between opiates that have been prescribed for a medical reason and opiates taken to get 'high'.

The Department for Education does not explicitly fund drug education. School pupils are currently provided with education on the physiological effects of drugs as part of the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study for science. They may also receive wider drugs education as part of non-statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

The FRANK service provides information and advice to young people about drugs. The Home Office, Department of Health and Department for Education work together to support the service. Funding is not allocated to advertising the risks associated with specific classes of drugs.

The following information summarises Home Office spend on advertising the risks associated with Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs via the FRANK drug information campaign in each of the last five years. This spend includes the cost of advertising to raise awareness of the FRANK service.

The figures relate to the cost of TV, cinema, radio, print, posters and online media, and exclude VAT, production costs and agency fees.

The following information summarises Home Office spend on advertising the risks associated with Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs via the FRANK drug information campaign in each of the last five years. This spend includes the cost of advertising to raise awareness of the FRANK service.

The figures relate to the cost of TV, cinema, radio, print, posters and online media, and exclude VAT, production costs and agency fees.

The FRANK drug information campaign was launched in May 2003, providing young people and their families with advice and information about all drugs. The campaign is managed jointly by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education.

The Home Office fund advertising to raise awareness of the FRANK service. The Department of Health fund and manage the FRANK service which comprises the helpline, email, SMS and website.

Department of Health's contributions to FRANK's advertising campaigns:

Data on the number of infants readmitted to hospital with neo-natal withdrawal symptoms attributable to maternal use of illicit or therapeutic drugs following being discharged from hospital are not centrally collected.

Central funding for adult drug treatment services has been provided to primary care trusts through the adult pooled treatment budget (PTB).

Adult PTB allocations to the London borough of Enfield, London and England in each of the last five years are set out in the following table:

NOMS has a comprehensive range of measures to tackle drugs. These include drug detection dogs, procedures to tackle visitors who seek to smuggle drugs and phones into prisons, and mobile phone detection technology. NOMS is also increasing the number of wings in prisons where prisoners can only stay if they remain abstinent from drugs. We are rolling out a networked IT intelligence system and providing prisons with short range mobile phone blockers which will help prisons prevent prisoners using mobile phones, which is often associated with drug supply.

NOMS is working closely with the Department of Health and service providers to create integrated, recovery orientated and outcome focused substance misuse services.