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Written Question
Retail Trade: Nitrous Oxide
Monday 13th March 2023

Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a requirement for retailers to hold a licence to sell nitrous oxide.

Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary

Nitrous oxide is subject to the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 which makes it an offence to supply, offer to supply, possess with intent to supply, produce, import or export nitrous oxide knowingly or recklessly for its psychoactive effect. Possession of nitrous oxide is lawful, except in custodial settings, and a Home Office controlled drugs licence is not required by those who wish to use it for legitimate medical, research, catering or industrial purposes.

The Government are concerned about the misuse of nitrous oxide, its recognised health harms and the potential impact on communities. That is why I wrote to the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on 7 February asking them to expedite their updated harms assessment on nitrous oxide following the Government’s initial request to the ACMD in September 2021.

The ACMD published their report on nitrous oxide on the 6 March, setting out the evidence as it currently stands and making a number of recommendations for action. The Government will consider the ACMD advice carefully along with any other available evidence, as appropriate, before deciding how to proceed.

Written Question
Nitrous Oxide: Misuse
Tuesday 24th January 2023

Asked by: Bob Stewart (Conservative - Beckenham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' review into potential harms caused by nitrous oxide launched in September 2021.

Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is an advisory non-departmental public body. The ACMD is independent of Government and therefore the timescales for, and progress of, their reviews are a matter for them.

Home Office officials work closely with the ACMD and the Government will consider their recommendations on nitrous oxide once they are published.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 07 Mar 2022
Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill

"I thank my very good friend for allowing me to intervene. I hope and presume that this Bill will freeze assets; will the second part of the legislation, when it comes, allow their confiscation? I hope that it will, in which case we might even put it to good use …..."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

View all Bob Stewart (Con - Beckenham) contributions to the debate on: Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 17 Jan 2022
Foreign Interference: Intelligence and Security

"The granting of a parliamentary pass is a real privilege, and I think that all of us should take responsibility by helping the House authorities and the Security Service when we are looking at people for our own offices, because we have the right to nominate people. We bear responsibility …..."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

View all Bob Stewart (Con - Beckenham) contributions to the debate on: Foreign Interference: Intelligence and Security
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 21 Apr 2021
Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism

"Can the Minister give the figures for how many terrorist attacks have been thwarted by our security services? I realise that he may not be able to do so...."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 15 Mar 2021
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

"Since 2009, the armed forces’ next of kin have been given the Elizabeth Cross if a family member has been killed in action as a result of terrorism. The award is obviously named after Her Majesty the Queen. I believe that such an award should now also be made to …..."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

View all Bob Stewart (Con - Beckenham) contributions to the debate on: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Feb 2021
Death of PC Yvonne Fletcher

"On 17 April 1984, Woman Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher of the Metropolitan police was fatally wounded by a gunman. He was hiding in the Libyan People’s Bureau, which was in St James’s Square in London. In this debate, I want to remember her by talking about her life and her …..."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Feb 2021
Death of PC Yvonne Fletcher

"Thank you, on behalf of everyone who is campaigning. The more of us who say it, the better...."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Feb 2021
Death of PC Yvonne Fletcher

"I give way to my honourable friend—he is my hon. Friend, even though he is in the Opposition...."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 23 Feb 2021
Death of PC Yvonne Fletcher

"I thank the hon. Member. All I can say to that is that I entirely agree with him on the Police Service of Northern Ireland and its predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

To make a little aside, when someone is killed in the military, they give out the Elizabeth Cross …..."
Bob Stewart - View Speech

View all Bob Stewart (Con - Beckenham) contributions to the debate on: Death of PC Yvonne Fletcher