§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made in improving Afghanistan's drug law enforcement capacity. [138430]
§ Mr. RammellAs lead nation for counter narcotics activity in Afghanistan, the UK supports the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy which was adopted by President Karzai in May 2003. The strategy proposes activities in four key areas: improved drugs law enforcement; alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers; capacity building for Afghan drugs institutions; and public awareness campaigns/treatment programmes to help reduce demand. The UK is committing £70 million over the next three years and additional British Embassy drugs personnel to drive forward implementation of the strategy.
In the area of improved drugs law enforcement, the UK is working with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on a basic law enforcement training programme to develop the investigation, detection, interdiction and intelligence capabilities of Afghanistan's principal drug enforcement agency, the Counter Narcotics Police. The UK has trained over 100 officers of the Counter Narcotics Police to date, including two female officers, and has involved trainers from Pakistan, Turkey and Iran in the counter-narcotics training package.
The UK plans to build upon this training by seconding international experts to mentor officers in Kabul and the regions. Progress in reforming Afghanistan's drug enforcement capacity, as in other areas of the drugs strategy, is dependent upon wider improvements in security and governance.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of the UK's heroin supply coming from Afghanistan. [138431]
§ Mr. RammellOn the basis of forensic analysis of heroin seizures, it is estimated that at least 95 per cent. of the heroin used in the UK is produced from opium grown in Afghanistan.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the size of the poppy harvest was in Afghanistan in each year since 2000. [138476]
1047W
§ Mr. RammellThe United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan. Their figures since 2000 are as follows:
Hectares Tonnes 2000 82,000 3,300 2001 8,000 185 2002 74,000 3,400 2003 80,000 3,600 The low level of cultivation and low production figure in 2001 reflect the Taliban ban on opium cultivation; the ban did not however address the underlying causes of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and was enforced with mix of threat and bribery.