Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take steps to help prevent the use of (a) balaclavas and (b) other non-religious face coverings in serious crime.

Section 60AA of the Public Order Act 1994 provides the police, under certain conditions, with the power to demand the removal of face coverings, as well as a power to seize items believed to be intended for this purpose. The government has no plans to extend these powers.