§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to secure the £33.55 million out of the £35 million ordered by the courts to be confiscated from those convicted of drug trafficking offences which has still not been paid.
§ Mr. Jack[holding answer 19 October 1992]: Responsibility for the enforcement of confiscation orders made after convictions in the Crown court for drug trafficking offences rests with magistrates courts. I am pleased to say that it is now known that, of the £35 million ordered to be confiscated under the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986—DTOA—up to May 1992, £15 million had either been realised or was subject to receivership. The realisation of confiscation orders is often necessarily a lengthy and complex process, involving for example the realisation of tangible property. Moreover, orders cannot be enforced when they are subject of appeal. We will shortly be bringing forward legislative proposals intended to improve the confiscation procedures of the DTOA, and additional guidance to the courts is also planned.