Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the decision on the legislative consent motions required for clauses 1 to 4 of the Offensive Weapons Bill will be made solely by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Office.

In Northern Ireland, corrosive substances are devolved and are the responsibility of the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland. Clauses 1 to 4 of the Offensive Weapons Bill which the hon Member has referred to, relate to proportionate restrictions on the sale and delivery of certain acids and other dangerous corrosive chemicals, and are part of a range of measures to provide better protection to people in local communities across the UKand to enhance public safety. Consideration has been given by Northern Ireland departments and UK Government Ministers to extending these measures in the absence of an Assembly or a Legislative Consent Motion, which can only be granted during the passage of a Bill. The Bill contains separate commencement measures for provisions extending to Northern Ireland which relate to devolved matters. These are to be commenced by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and associated regulations will not be commenced without Northern Ireland Assembly approval.