Is there a more annoying minister than Dawn Primerolo?

Drug 'rewards' given to addicts

Heroin and cocaine addicts on the government's treatment programme are being given drugs as a reward for clean urine samples, the BBC has learned. The National Treatment Agency (NTA), which runs the £500m-a-year scheme, admits the practice is "unethical". Its own survey of almost 200 clinics in England found users were being offered extra methadone, a heroin substitute, or anti-depressants for good behaviour.

The scheme has about 175,000 registered users of which around 20,000 never even begin treatment. Around 120,000 do not complete their treatment and fewer than 10,000 leave the scheme drug free (with around 70% of those relapsing within twelve months). The scheme costs £500,000,000 a year. That's a cost of £167,000 per successful (still drug-free after 12 months) case. And Primerolo says  this represents 'great steps forward'!

Hear her getting defenestrated on this morning's Today programme: