HL Deb 22 July 1997 vol 581 cc1302-3

3.5 p.m.

Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will consider the case for drug enforcement authorities to have improved access to information concerning the export by European manufacturers of precursor chemicals used in the production of cocaine.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)

My Lords, yes. United Kingdom enforcement authorities already have access to information on exports of such chemicals from this country. A number of agreements have been made with countries where cocaine is produced providing for the sharing of such information with their drug enforcement authorities, and more are being negotiated. The United Kingdom played a leading role in the recent United Nations International Narcotics Control Board meeting which identified a number of ways of further improving information exchange.

Viscount Waverley

My Lords, while recognising that there are legal measures in place both here and in Brussels, will the Minister nevertheless agree that stronger action is required, given that the majority of precursor chemicals, without which there would be little production of cocaine and many other hard drugs, are produced in Europe and the United States?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, I agree with what the noble Viscount said. We already have agreements with Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and the United States which provide for the sharing of information on shipments of precursor chemicals. We intend to conclude similar agreements with Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Lord Hylton

My Lords, does the Minister agree with the previous administration that some 80 per cent. of the illegal heroin seized in this country entered through Turkey? Have the Government had discussions with the Turkish Government: and, if so, with what result?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, shipments from Turkey are a continuing problem which is not overlooked by the Government. We believe—I think that it was the policy of the previous administration—that the key to the question is co-operation with overseas drug enforcement agencies. We have inherited the drugs liaison officer network. We have 50 United Kingdom DLOs stationed in 31 countries on drug trafficking routes in Europe, North and South America, the Caribbean and Asia.

Lord Clark of Kempston

My Lords, does the Minister agree that far from the export of drugs, exporters in this country are being penalised and jeopardised because of the increase in the base rate and the resulting strength of sterling? What will the Government do about that?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, in answering the noble Viscount's Question, and the supplementary question from the noble Lord, Lord Hylton, I sought to treat this Question on drug menace with seriousness in your Lordships' House.

Lord Harris of Greenwich

My Lords, does the Minister agree that a great deal of work has been done on the subject of precursor chemicals by the National Criminal Intelligence Service? I assume that that work is continuing.

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, the noble Lord is entirely right. I am more than willing to pay tribute to the work that NCIS does. Within the past few days I had the great privilege of visiting NCIS to discuss its work; its demands, necessarily, for more resources; and the way ahead. I am careful to state that I was unable to say anything in response to its request for further resources.

Viscount Waverley

My Lords, can the Minister identify any stronger measures that could be effected in this area?

Lord Williams of Mostyn

My Lords, yes. We press ahead with the regime that we have. We try to put what resource we can into international co-operation. If we do not gain intergovernmental co-operation, if we do not have inter-agency co-operation, we shall get nowhere. One of the serious dangers of the drug trade is the vast amount of money involved. It is notorious that when vast amounts of money are swilling about, sometimes political systems become corrupted. That is a matter to which the Government are keenly attentive.