Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle drug smuggling in the Caribbean United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

A Royal Navy ship is persistently deployed to the Caribbean. In conjunction with the US, this ship conducts counter illicit trafficking operations to directly intercept drug smugglers. In addition, a Royal Naval officer provides UK liaison to the US Joint Inter Agency Task Force (South) in Florida to ensure that we collaborate to best effect with allies. The MOD also provides capacity building to the Overseas Territories, including their Defence Regiments, to build their resilience against a range of threats.