THE Governement has promised to tackle the growing problem of drug-assisted rape, following a campaign by Redcar MP Vera Baird.

Ms Baird, a legal expert on sexual offences and a patron of the Drug Rape Trust, applied for an adjournment debate on the issue in the House of Commons, which took place yesterday.

In the past, Ms Baird has criticised the Government for not taking drug rape seriously enough, but she said she was pleased with the response she received from Home Office Minister Bob Ainsworth.

"He convinced me that the Government was very much behind what I was saying and I found that very positive," she said.

"They are going to start collecting statistics about rape allegations that are drug-related. That will give us some idea of the scale of the problem.

"They are also working to develop a swizzle stick that can be put in a drink to detect the presence of rape drugs."

The substances most commonly used in drug rape pass through the system within a few hours, making them extremely difficult to trace.

There have only been nine drug rape convictions to date even through the Drug Rape Trust received more than 1,016 allegations last year.