§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration the Government are giving to the proposed international drugs convention under the auspices of the Council of Europe; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorInternational co-operation is an essential component of the Government's strategy for combating drug misuse. We therefore welcome the attention which this topic is receiving in the Council of Europe, both in the Parliamentary Assembly and in the Pompidou Group—the Council of Europe co-operation group to combat drug abuse and illicit trafficking in drugs. The United Kingdom now chairs the Pompidou Group, and we regard that body as the principal forum for developing co-operation in western Europe, whether through formal legal instruments—which have not been put forward in the Assembly or in the Pompidou Group—or in less formal ways.