BELFAST TOP OF YOUTH DRUG LEAGUE

ALMOST half of the children in Belfast aged between 10 and 17 have been
offered drugs, according to a report published today.

And more than one in four have tried drugs, a higher proportion than in any
other area of Northern Ireland, the report reveals.

The shock statistics are contained in Belfast Counts 1999, an economic and
lifestyle snapshot commissioned by Belfast City Council.

The report also reveals that people in Belfast are generating more and more
rubbish each year 160,000 tonnes last year alone, more than 20,000 more
tonnes than in 1995.

The report also highlights the growing numbers of crimes against the person
in the city, with crimes such as mugging and assaults on the increase in
the last decade.

According to the report, women in Belfast live an average of eight years
longer than men.

And energy efficiency in homes in Belfast is below the Northern Ireland
average with Lisburn the most energy efficient area in the province.