Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on which date she wrote to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs setting out her reasons for rejecting the Council’s recommendations on nitrous oxide.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on 6 March, which set out the available evidence and made recommendations for action. This report can be found at the following link: Nitrous oxide: updated harms assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Government carefully considered the ACMD’s advice when making the decision to control nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In their report the ACMD cite anecdotal reports of an increase in neurological harms. They also identify evidence in relation to health and social harms and provide references to those sources within their report. This includes harms such as drug driving and littering as well as identifying widespread availability for illegitimate use. In addition to the ACMD’s review, the Government has received representations from members of the public, from police officers and others highlighting serious concerns and providing further anecdotal evidence of the dangers of nitrous oxide.
The Government responded to the ACMD on 27 March. The Government’s response is available at the following link: Government response: ACMD nitrous oxide review (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her oral contribution of 27 March 2023, Official Report, column 674, on Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan, what emerging evidence on nitrous oxide she is referring to; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) published their report on nitrous oxide on 6 March, which set out the available evidence and made recommendations for action. This report can be found at the following link: Nitrous oxide: updated harms assessment - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Government carefully considered the ACMD’s advice when making the decision to control nitrous oxide under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. In their report the ACMD cite anecdotal reports of an increase in neurological harms. They also identify evidence in relation to health and social harms and provide references to those sources within their report. This includes harms such as drug driving and littering as well as identifying widespread availability for illegitimate use. In addition to the ACMD’s review, the Government has received representations from members of the public, from police officers and others highlighting serious concerns and providing further anecdotal evidence of the dangers of nitrous oxide.
The Government responded to the ACMD on 27 March. The Government’s response is available at the following link: Government response: ACMD nitrous oxide review (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to the House on 28 March on Afghan Resettlement Update, how much of the £1 million per day cost for hotel accommodation for the Afghan cohort is being charged to the development budget.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Given the complexity of factors involved in calculating ODA spend, the Home Office does not categorise data on ODA spend in a way that makes it possible to answer this question.
The Statistics on International Development (SID) National Statistics, published on GOV.UK, provides an overview of all UK spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to the House on 28 March on Afghan Resettlement Update, what data her Department holds on the accommodation of those Afghan nationals who are part of the 24,500 who have relocated in the UK but who are not part of the around (a) 8,000 in bridging hotels and (b) 9,000 in settled homes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Bridging accommodation is available to those who need it. A number of people have not needed to use it for a variety of reasons. For example, they may be the immediate family of a British national who owns a property in the UK, they have been able to stay with other family or friends or they have taken steps to secure their own private rented accommodation.
The published operational data on Afghanistan including information on temporary accommodation and settled accommodation is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Further data on accommodation may be included in future operational data releases. The next of which is on the 25 May 2023.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people with criminal records only have a conviction related to drug offences.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold any information on the proportion of people with criminal records who only have a conviction related to drug offences.
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for drug offences on a quarterly basis. The most recent publication is available here: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: September 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In year ending September 2022, there were 73,731 convictions for drug offences. However, no information is available on whether or not those convicted of these offences had a previous conviction (either for drug offences or for another type of offence).
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511 and the Answer of 9th February 2023 to Question 140011, whether her Department is in possession of any (a) recent and (b) historic evidence to show that Psilocybin (i) causes harm or (ii) has the potential to cause harm.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
As I set out in response to Question 140011, Psilocybin, in common with a number of drugs that have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (the 1971 Act) for a considerable period of time, has not been subject to analysis or recent analysis of harm.
The Government has not commissioned or published any recent analysis of the harms of psilocybin. Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the 1971 Act and is placed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Psilocin is also subject to the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, to which the United Kingdom is signatory.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511 on Psilocybin: Misuse, whether her Department has historic evidence to show that Psilocybin (a) causes harm or (b) has the potential to cause harm.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
As the then Crime and Policing Minister set out in his response to Question 7725, psilocybin, in common with a number of drugs which have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (the 1971 Act) for a considerable period of time have not been subject to analysis or recent analysis of harm.
The Government has not commissioned or published any recent analysis of the harms of psilocybin. Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the the 1971 Act and is placed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. Psilocin is also subject to the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, to which the United Kingdom is signatory.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question 131103 on Cannabidiol and with reference to clause six of paragraph four of the Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, published on 14 November 2011, for what reason her Department has not published a response within three months to the report entitled ACMD advice on consumer cannabidiol products, published on 17 December 2021; whether the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has been informed of these reasons; and whether her Department has given the Council a prospective date for a response.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are in the process of considering the findings of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) report on consumer cannabidiol products.
This is a complex area of policy and the Government is giving close consideration to the recommendations before responding in due course. We regularly engage with the Council on the timescales for responding to their reports and any reasons for those.
We will continue to work closely with the ACMD as policy is developed on the regulation of CBD products.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 67096, on Psilocybin, and to the Answer of 23 January 2023 to Question 126511, on Psilocybin: Misuse, for what reason she will not conduct a review of the harms of psilocybin.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Psilocybin, as an “ester of psilocin”, is controlled as a Class A drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and has been since the Act was introduced. As set out in the response to Parliamentary Question 67096, the Government has no plans to commission the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to assess the classification of Psilocybin.
A review of classification is not currently a priority in the context of the significant challenges of drug misuse set out in Dame Carol Black's independent review of drugs, which the government is focused on tackling through the 10-year Drug Strategy, including work to improve treatment and recovery services, tackle drugs supply and reduce the demand for drugs in society.
Asked by: Crispin Blunt (Independent - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will hold discussions with the FSA on (a) the safety of Cannabidiol (CBD) products and (b) the process by which the FSA assesses the risks presented by those products; and if she will seek advice from the FSA to inform her decision on the regulation of CBD products.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office works with the Food Standards Agency on the issue of CBD products, given our respective responsibilities for the regulation of controlled drugs and novel foods.
The Home Office will continue to work with the Agency as we consider our response to the advice provided by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on CBD products.