Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime registered (a) a 43 percent increase in coca cultivation in Colombia in 2021 and (b) an estimated 1400 metric tons of cocaine production.

The UK's 10 year plan - 'From Harm to Hope' - explains how we propose to cut crime and save lives affected by drug criminality, including how we cooperate with international partners to achieve this. The latest increase in coca cultivation in Colombia has been noted, but the UK respects the right of Colombia's institutions to decide how best to tackle coca eradication. We continue to believe that a multi-pronged approach incorporating enforcement, supporting Colombian institutions to deliver the 2016 Peace Accords and sustainable economic alternatives provides the best long-term method of eradicating coca. Through our support for the implementation of the Peace Agreement we provide assistance for the Government's crop substitution programme and much of our other work in Colombia focuses on developing sustainable livelihoods for those living in conflict-affected areas.