Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's press release of 29 December 2016, psychoactive substances ban six months on: almost 500 arrests and first convictions, what the alleged offences were for each person arrested; and which police force carried out each arrest.

The information requested is not collected centrally.

The figures in the press release of 29 December provided an early snapshot of enforcement activity since the commencement of the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA). They were based on voluntary data returned to the National Police Chiefs’ Council by 44 police forces in the United Kingdom covering the period 26 May to 26 November 2016.

We are undertaking a formal review of the Act and the review will report its findings by late 2018.