Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of Derbyshire Constabulary to introduce a new process for all firearm and shotgun applications, including renewals, which requires applicants to provide, and pay for, medical information verified by a GP; what discussions they have had with that Constabulary about the compliance of that process with Home Office Guidance; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that process on the workload of frontline medical practitioners and the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The police are responsible for assessing the suitability of those who apply for the grant or renewal of a firearm or shotgun certificate. The police carry out a number of checks to ensure that those in possession of firearms do not pose a danger to public safety, including in relation to medical suitability based on information provided normally by the applicant’s GP.

The Government has consulted on the introduction of new statutory firearms guidance to police, which includes proposals for revised medical arrangements to ensure that police have the medical information they require before the grant of a certificate. The consultation closed on 17 September and the Government will publish its response and the statutory guidance in due course.

The Government recognises that firearms licensing arrangements, including the medical aspects, will be affected by the measures that have been put in place in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Police forces may need to adopt a flexible approach to meet local need and risk in the current exceptional circumstances and there may be some impact on firearms licensing arrangements. The Government will continue to have discussions with the police to keep firearms licensing under review over the coming weeks and months, but the Government’s priority is to continue to encourage people to stay at home and to protect the NHS.