Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the scheduled January meeting of the cross-government working group on how best to reduce barriers to clinical research with Schedule 1 drugs took place, and whether minutes will be available on public record.

A meeting of the cross-government working group on reducing barriers to research with Schedule 1 drugs took place on 23 January. The working group is comprised of officials from the relevant government departments and regulatory bodies. The group’s role is the formulation of policy. As such its considerations are not agreed government policy and we have no plans to publish them. The Government remains committed to implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on reducing barriers to research with Schedule 1 drugs and we will publish our plans in this area in due course.