HC Deb 20 November 2001 vol 375 cc239-41W
Mr. Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure regular Russian authority co-operation in helping to track Russian organised crime in the United Kingdom. [14726]

Mr. Denham

There has been close co-operation between law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom and Russia in recent years, which has been valuable to both parties. The United Kingdom has two

Although there are estimates for problematic opiate use (which is mostly heroin-related), no information is presented for cocaine.

Table 1—Number of persons presenting for treatment at drug agencies, with heroin or cocaine reported as the main drug, during six-month periods ending 30 September 1993 to 30 September 2000, in Great Britain
Main drug of misuse
Six-month period ending Heroin Cocaine
30 September 1993 8,643 512
31 March 1994 9,746 737
30 September 1994 11,191 783
31 March 1995 12,282 903
30 September 1995 13,400 1,074
31 March 1996 14,488 1,015
30 September 1996 16,621 894
31 March 1997 18,285 1,053
30 September 1997 14,749 959
31 March 1998 16,390 1,178
30 September 1998 18,994 1,709
31 March 1999 20,027 1,693
30 September 1999 21,389 2,153
31 March 2000 23,824 2,121
30 September 2000 24,759 2,116

Source:

Department of Health series of Statistical Bulletins; the most recent is "Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases for six months ending September 2000".

bilateral agreements with Russia, both inter-agency and intergovernmental. We have a joint fiscal, crime and drugs liaison officer based in Moscow who works closely with his counterparts in Russian law enforcement agencies. Senior United Kingdom law enforcement officials regularly visit to maintain links at the highest level. Both Russia and the United Kingdom are members of the G8 Lyon Group, which focuses on transnational serious and organised crime. The United Kingdom will continue to work closely with Russia through bilateral and European initiatives to combat serious and organised crime originating in Russia and reduce its impact on the United Kingdom.