Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing policing powers to tackle antisocial drug smoking.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the powers available to local authorities and other partners to tackle anti-social behaviour under regular review. We consider the current framework provides a broad and flexible toolkit to tackle to anti-social drug misuse.
It is unlawful to possess or supply controlled drugs without a Home Office licence, and we expect the police to enforce the law. As a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for possession of cannabis is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The Government is taking a range of actions to tackle anti-social drug misuse, including cannabis. We are providing more visible, community-focused policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Increase Grant, which will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood roles, and introducing Respect Orders to strengthen the powers available to police and other agencies. Every police force also now has a published anti-social behaviour plan and a dedicated lead.
The police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have a range of flexible powers to respond to anti-social behaviour, including drug misuse. These include the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, such as the Closure Power, which can be used to shut down premises associated with nuisance or disorder. In addition, under section 17(1)(b) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, police officers may enter a property without a warrant to arrest a person for an indictable offence where there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is on the premises.
The use of such powers is an operational matter for the police and must be exercised in a lawful, necessary and proportionate manner in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of local authority powers to tackle antisocial drug taking.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the powers available to local authorities and other partners to tackle anti-social behaviour under regular review. We consider the current framework provides a broad and flexible toolkit to tackle to anti-social drug misuse.
It is unlawful to possess or supply controlled drugs without a Home Office licence, and we expect the police to enforce the law. As a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for possession of cannabis is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The Government is taking a range of actions to tackle anti-social drug misuse, including cannabis. We are providing more visible, community-focused policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Increase Grant, which will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood roles, and introducing Respect Orders to strengthen the powers available to police and other agencies. Every police force also now has a published anti-social behaviour plan and a dedicated lead.
The police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have a range of flexible powers to respond to anti-social behaviour, including drug misuse. These include the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, such as the Closure Power, which can be used to shut down premises associated with nuisance or disorder. In addition, under section 17(1)(b) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, police officers may enter a property without a warrant to arrest a person for an indictable offence where there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is on the premises.
The use of such powers is an operational matter for the police and must be exercised in a lawful, necessary and proportionate manner in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to increase policing powers to help tackle cannabis smoking within homes.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the powers available to local authorities and other partners to tackle anti-social behaviour under regular review. We consider the current framework provides a broad and flexible toolkit to tackle to anti-social drug misuse.
It is unlawful to possess or supply controlled drugs without a Home Office licence, and we expect the police to enforce the law. As a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for possession of cannabis is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The Government is taking a range of actions to tackle anti-social drug misuse, including cannabis. We are providing more visible, community-focused policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Increase Grant, which will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood roles, and introducing Respect Orders to strengthen the powers available to police and other agencies. Every police force also now has a published anti-social behaviour plan and a dedicated lead.
The police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have a range of flexible powers to respond to anti-social behaviour, including drug misuse. These include the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, such as the Closure Power, which can be used to shut down premises associated with nuisance or disorder. In addition, under section 17(1)(b) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, police officers may enter a property without a warrant to arrest a person for an indictable offence where there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is on the premises.
The use of such powers is an operational matter for the police and must be exercised in a lawful, necessary and proportionate manner in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle cannabis use.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps the powers available to local authorities and other partners to tackle anti-social behaviour under regular review. We consider the current framework provides a broad and flexible toolkit to tackle to anti-social drug misuse.
It is unlawful to possess or supply controlled drugs without a Home Office licence, and we expect the police to enforce the law. As a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for possession of cannabis is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The Government is taking a range of actions to tackle anti-social drug misuse, including cannabis. We are providing more visible, community-focused policing through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, supported by the Neighbourhood Policing Increase Grant, which will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel into neighbourhood roles, and introducing Respect Orders to strengthen the powers available to police and other agencies. Every police force also now has a published anti-social behaviour plan and a dedicated lead.
The police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have a range of flexible powers to respond to anti-social behaviour, including drug misuse. These include the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, such as the Closure Power, which can be used to shut down premises associated with nuisance or disorder. In addition, under section 17(1)(b) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, police officers may enter a property without a warrant to arrest a person for an indictable offence where there are reasonable grounds to believe the person is on the premises.
The use of such powers is an operational matter for the police and must be exercised in a lawful, necessary and proportionate manner in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people working as riders for food delivery companies have the right to work in Britain.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Clamping down on illegal working is a critical part of this Government’s work to restore fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. This includes measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act to ensure companies who utilise flexible worker models, as seen in the food delivery sector, are required to conduct right to work checks to prevent illegal working when they contract workers to provide services under their company name.
These new legislative measures will restrict the ability of employers to take advantage of illegal workers and encourage businesses to provide work opportunities to only those permitted to work in the UK. It will provide parity across industries and will set a level playing field for businesses to uphold their responsibilities to prevent illegal working in the UK.
The Government intends to publish the response to the 'Consultation on the prevention of illegal working: Extending the Right to Work Scheme to other working arrangements' alongside updated guidance and statutory codes of practice in due course.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her department has considered the potential merits of increasing the judicial penalty for illegal working in relation to riders for food delivery companies.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Clamping down on illegal working is a critical part of this government’s work to restore fairness, order and control within the immigration and asylum system. We have changed the law to ensure companies who utilise flexible worker models, as seen in the food delivery sector, are required to conduct right to work checks to prevent illegal working when they contract workers to provide services under their company name.
The existing penalty regime attached to the Right to Work Scheme will apply to these new arrangements and penalties will be enforced, set at £45,000 per illegal worker encountered for a first breach and up to £60,000 for repeat breaches. The penalties sit within this government’s programme of intensified enforcement activity which has seen a 63% increase in illegal working arrests.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of people employed in Immigration Enforcement.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Immigration Enforcement is at the heart of the Government’s ambition to maximise the return of foreign criminals and others with no legal basis to remain in the UK, and to restore order and control to our immigration system. Immigration Enforcement have well developed resourcing plans in place, aimed at delivering a significant increase in the size of the command in the course of this financial year.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her department is taking to increase the rate of (a) detention and (b) deportation for people found to be working illegally as delivery riders in Britain.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Illegal working undermines honest employers, undercuts local wages, and fuels the criminal industry of immigration crime. This government is determined to clamp down on this illegal activity in every sector; including in the food delivery sector.
Since coming into power, this government has increased immigration enforcement action to the highest level, with an 83 percent rise in illegal working arrests and a 77 percent rise in raids.
We are clear that individuals who have no legal basis to remain in the United Kingdom should leave and we remain resolute in our commitment, as set out in our Restoring Order and Control: a statement on the Government’s asylum and returns policy (November 2025), to increasing returns.
Returns and deportations of illegal migrants, including those working illegally and foreign criminals, are at the highest levels in nearly a decade, with nearly 70,000 returns recorded in the first 21 months of this government, 41% more than the equivalent period up to the end of June 2024.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support local police forces to tackle (a) antisocial drug taking and (b) drug dealing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not tolerate illicit drugs and recognises the harms they cause including drug-related crime. We are taking a whole-system approach to deliver safer streets and address drug-related crime in our communities.
We work closely with police forces and other operational partners to deliver a robust law enforcement response. Powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 enable police forces and local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour linked to drug use and dealing and to protect communities.
Tackling organised drug-dealing remains a priority. County Lines are the most violent and exploitative model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupting the organised crime groups behind them. Since July 2024, activity through the Programme has resulted in more than 3,700 deal lines closed, over 10,100 arrests (including more than 2,100 deal line holders charged), 5,400 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 1,200 knives seized. The Home Office is providing more than £34 million in funding for the County Lines Programme in 2026–27 to sustain its progress.
Drug use drives wider offending, with nearly half of acquisitive crime linked to drugs. Drug Testing on Arrest is a key tool to identify illicit drug users and support behaviour change and reduce future offending. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we are expanding testing powers to cover further offences and a wider range of drugs.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle organised drug-dealing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not tolerate illicit drugs and recognises the harms they cause including drug-related crime. We are taking a whole-system approach to deliver safer streets and address drug-related crime in our communities.
We work closely with police forces and other operational partners to deliver a robust law enforcement response. Powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 enable police forces and local authorities to combat antisocial behaviour linked to drug use and dealing and to protect communities.
Tackling organised drug-dealing remains a priority. County Lines are the most violent and exploitative model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and disrupting the organised crime groups behind them. Since July 2024, activity through the Programme has resulted in more than 3,700 deal lines closed, over 10,100 arrests (including more than 2,100 deal line holders charged), 5,400 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people, and 1,200 knives seized. The Home Office is providing more than £34 million in funding for the County Lines Programme in 2026–27 to sustain its progress.
Drug use drives wider offending, with nearly half of acquisitive crime linked to drugs. Drug Testing on Arrest is a key tool to identify illicit drug users and support behaviour change and reduce future offending. Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, we are expanding testing powers to cover further offences and a wider range of drugs.