§ 18. Mr. Bellinghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what priority the Government give to dealing with the misuse of heroin and cocaine.
§ Mr. MellorThe Government continue to give the highest priority to combating the trafficking and misuse of drugs, including heroin and cocaine. The ministerial group on the misuse of drugs is co-ordinating action right across the board to tackle both the supply of, and demand for, these and other dangerous drugs.
§ Mr. BellinghamIn the light of that helpful reply, does my hon. Friend agree that the present number of customs officers should remain and not be allowed to fall any further?
§ Mr. MellorThe number of customs officers dealing with drugs matters has been increased this year. The number of customs officers making specialist investigations into heroin traffic has doubled since 1979. We continue to keep under review the operational numbers of customs officers needed to combat the menace.