§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been recorded in the availability of street heroin in the EU since the removal of the Taliban regime. [63337]
§ Mr. MacShaneGeneral analysis of drugs markets suggests that changes at source take 12–18 months to have an impact on street level availability. In the first quarter of 2002 there were indications of heroin shortages in some member states, but in others no significant changes were reported. In the UK some local shortages of heroin have been accompanied by price rises and reductions in purity, but there is no indication of a widespread shortage or of a general upward trend in prices.