Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department plans to assess the impact of controlling nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; and what estimate she has made of the cost of this policy to the public purse in the next five years.

The Government will conduct a full Impact Assessment before implementing control of nitrous oxide. This will include consideration of the impact control will have on levels of nitrous oxide misuse, as well as the impact control will have on businesses with legitimate requirements for nitrous oxide, the public sector, and other identified groups. This will examine the cost over a 10-year appraisal period and will be published on the GOV.UK website.

It is not our intention to hinder or place undue burden on those who wish to use nitrous oxide for legitimate purposes or to unduly impact businesses. To support our understanding of the uses of nitrous oxide and how best to exempt legitimate use, the Government published a consultation - Nitrous oxide: legitimate uses and appropriate controls - which seeks views from organisations and people who use, or might wish to use, nitrous oxide in the future for legitimate purposes. The consultation runs until 27 June and is available on the GOV.UK website.