§ 31. Mr. IrvineTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current value of assets for which confiscation orders have been made in respect of drug trafficking offences in the latest year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. John PattenThe latest figures, which are in respect of confiscation orders made in 1987 and 1988, are given in table 7.25 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1988", a copy of which is in the Library. These show that over £9 million was ordered to be confiscated in those two years. The current estimate by the national drugs intelligence unit of the cumulative total of confiscation orders made since the Drug Trafficking Offences Act came into force in January 1987 is in excess of £16 million.