Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the provisions in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 allowing a constable to seize any tobacco or cigarette papers in the possession of any person apparently under the age of sixteen years whom they find smoking in any street or public place have been used in each of the last 10 years.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on use of police powers, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

However, data is not collected on the seizure of tobacco or cigarette papers under the Children and Young Person Act 1933.