Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date the Inter-Ministerial Group on drugs (a) last met and (b) will next meet.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Drugs Strategy Ministerial Forum (DSMF) brings together Ministers from six departments (the Home Office, the Department for Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government), along with other departments as appropriate, to ensure cross-government accountability and join-up on a range of drug-related activity.
The last DSMF was held in December, and the next meeting is being planned for the autumn.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what safeguards exist to reduce the risk of unnecessary (a) arrest and (b) restraint of neurodivergent people during police encounters.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set training and guidance on arrest, de-escalation and the dangers of using restraint techniques on vulnerable individuals.
Before officers can be authorised to use force they must pass a comprehensive training programme, which includes how to assess the potential vulnerability of individuals they engage with, including neurodivergent people and people with, learning disabilities or poor mental health. Officers are trained to identify and adapt their approach accordingly, in these circumstances.
When officers take the decision to use force they are accountable through the law for their actions and must be able to justify their use of force as reasonable, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces on de-escalation techniques when interacting with neurodivergent people during police incidents.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set training and guidance on arrest, de-escalation and the dangers of using restraint techniques on vulnerable individuals.
Before officers can be authorised to use force they must pass a comprehensive training programme, which includes how to assess the potential vulnerability of individuals they engage with, including neurodivergent people and people with, learning disabilities or poor mental health. Officers are trained to identify and adapt their approach accordingly, in these circumstances.
When officers take the decision to use force they are accountable through the law for their actions and must be able to justify their use of force as reasonable, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Ketamine: An updated review of use and harms published by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on 28 January 2026, what (a) research and (b) consultations were undertaken as part of the decision-making process.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
As the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is independent of Government, its internal and decision-making processes are matters for the ACMD.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) independence, (b) integrity and (c) expertise of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The independence of the ACMD is essential to making recommendations on the control of dangerous or otherwise harmful drugs. The ACMD’s integrity is maintained by a joint working protocol between Ministers and the Committee which governs the roles, responsibilities and expectations of the ACMD and those to whom it delivers advice. As part of this the Minister for Policing and Crime, routinely reviews ACMD advice and recommendations.
In 2024 the Home Office’s Chief Scientific Adviser initiated a review which examined and made recommendations on how the department commissions, uses and feeds back on advice from its Science Advisory Councils.
The adequacy of ACMD’s advice is assured through maintenance of a committee with comprehensive expertise. ACMD appointments are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and are subject to the principles laid out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Membership is refreshed through regular rounds of recruitment including for a new chair appointed in 2025. Recruitment processes seek to ensure the widest possible pool of candidates are considered for roles. In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments process, members are recruited through free and open competition and appointed following Ministerial approval.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of training provided to frontline police officers on recognising and responding to neurodivergent people, including autistic people and people with ADHD.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework. All new recruits must complete this training which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has also produced an e-learning course and a glossary of terms on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
The Home Office is a member of the National Neurodiversity Working Group chaired by the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Neurodiversity.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the National Police Chiefs' Council on improving police responses to neurodivergent (a) victims, (b) witnesses and (c) suspects.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework. All new recruits must complete this training which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has also produced an e-learning course and a glossary of terms on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
The Home Office is a member of the National Neurodiversity Working Group chaired by the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Neurodiversity.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce mandatory neurodiversity awareness training for all frontline police officers and call handlers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework. All new recruits must complete this training which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has also produced an e-learning course and a glossary of terms on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
The Home Office is a member of the National Neurodiversity Working Group chaired by the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Neurodiversity.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of police forces provide specialist neurodiversity training beyond the minimum national requirements.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The College of Policing set the professional standards for police in England and Wales. The College’s core guidance includes the initial training for officers under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework. All new recruits must complete this training which incorporates autism, learning disabilities, mental health and vulnerabilities. Through this, officers are taught to assess vulnerability and amend their approaches as required.
The College further promotes the need for frameworks to assess vulnerability, to aid in consistent identification, support decision making, and to trigger appropriate safeguarding action. Such principles and practices are set out in a number of college products, including the Detention and Custody Authorised Professional Practice.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has also produced an e-learning course and a glossary of terms on neurodiversity, which are available to all police officers.
Policing is operationally independent, and it is a matter for the chief constables of each force to decide which additional training their officers should undertake.
The Home Office is a member of the National Neurodiversity Working Group chaired by the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Neurodiversity.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department collects data on complaints involving police interactions with neurodivergent people.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not collect data on complaints involving police interactions with neurodivergent individuals.
As the public body responsible for overseeing the police complaints system in England and Wales, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is responsible for collecting police complaints data.
The IOPC publishes annual statistics on police complaints, which include some information on complainants. These are available at: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/our-work/research-and-statistics/police-complaints-statistics
Data on neurodivergence is not published within the IOPC’s police complaints statistics, however, they may hold further information that is not routinely published.