Question. [Lord Moylan] May I, my Lords, come back to the question of drug-driving raised by the noble Baroness Lady Pidgeon. Nobody expects there to be a roadside test available for drug-driving as effectively as a breathalyser is for alcohol. But what in particular is the department doing, given that figures from the department showed that there are now more deaths from drug-driving than from drink driving? What is the department doing in terms of training or other equipment that would assist the police in roadside enforcement, which really it has been shown, is the most effective way of deterring this activity?
Answer. [Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill] Well, of course, there are a variety of drugs which, need to be tested in different ways. The department is very concerned about drug-driving and will be looking at it again in the course of the revised road safety strategy. He's right that detection is more difficult because of the variety of drugs. But the department is looking carefully at it because the enforcement effort has to be consistent of drugs and drink.
****
Question. [Lord Balfe] My Lords, I'm told that the programme for drug testing on driving is in serious disarray, with many people's samples just not being tested. Has the minister considered using breath as well as blood tests? And can the minister look at sorting this out? Because I'm told that there are now thousands of tests outstanding which have not been moved towards prosecution.
Answer. [Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill] I'm not an expert
in how we test those things, but I'm disturbed to hear something that I hadn't heard
previously, which is the suggestion that that programme is in disarray. I will
go away and find out whether or not the government believes it's in disarray and
if it is what's to be done about it and what will be done about it. I’ll write
to the noble Lord.