§ Lord Smith of Leighasked Her Majesty's Government:
What revenue has been received from the proceeds of crime; and whether there are any plans to invest this money into crime reduction projects. [HL6013]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)The receipts remitted to the Secretary of State from confiscation orders made under the Drug Trafficking Acts 1986 and 1994 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988 unamended and as amended by the Proceeds of Crime Act 1995; from drug cash seizures under the Drug Trafficking Act 1994; and from asset sharing receipts, for each year from 1996, were: £10,858,000 for 1996–97; £14,932,000 for 1997–98; £19,310,000 for 1998–99; £29,523,000 for 1999–2000; and £23,520,000 for 2000–01. The figure for the year 2001–02 is not yet available.
Between April 1999 and March 2002 a total of £12 million was recycled through the Confiscated Assets Fund (CAF) and allocated to anti-drug programmes. The amounts allocated each year were £3 million in 1999–2000, £5 million in 2000–01 and £4 million in 2001–02.
The Recovered Assets Fund replaced the Confiscated Assets Fund in 2001. In 2002–03, £3 million was allocated to the first round of successful bids to the fund. I will shortly be announcing the allocation of a much greater sum to a second round of successful bids. The funds will be allocated to a wide range of crime reduction projects, including anti-drug programmes. The future use and operation of the fund is currently under review.