§ 58. Mr. CurryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to strengthen international co-operation against trade in illegal drugs.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe Home Office continues to play an active role in the work of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Community as it concerns drugs. In London next week my right hon. Friend and I will be chairing a meeting of Ministers of the Council of Europe's drug co-operation group (the Pompidou group) to consider some of the most urgent drugs problems facing European countries. We shall concentrate particularly on countering the threat posed by cocaine and "crack", confiscation of proceeds derived from illicit trafficking and the problem of AIDS and drug misuse. We hope that the meeting will give renewed political impetus to the valuable work being undertaken by the group and its 19 member states.