To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Venezuela on international drug trafficking.

The former Minister of State for Latin America, my noble Friend Lord Triesman, held useful discussions with the Venezuelan Minister for Europe in June 2007 on the importance of tackling together the flow of cocaine through Venezuela. I held discussions on the issue during my visit to Venezuela in October 2006.

Officials from our embassy in Caracas, including our ambassador, continue to hold discussions with Venezuelan interlocutors to explore how our Governments can work together to reduce the harm caused to both countries by drug trafficking, along the lines of the informal UK-Venezuela bilateral action plan signed in June 2007.