Ten-Year Drugs Strategy Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Ministry of Justice

Ten-Year Drugs Strategy

Jack Brereton Excerpts
Monday 6th December 2021

(2 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Kit Malthouse Portrait Kit Malthouse
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

I certainly will.

Jack Brereton Portrait Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)
- View Speech - Hansard - -

A number of buildings in Stoke-on-Trent South have recently been used to cultivate drugs, so will my right hon. Friend look at what more can be done to increase the punishments for those who allow their buildings to be used for such purposes, or do nothing to stop it?

Kit Malthouse Portrait Kit Malthouse
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

My hon. Friend raises a very good point. There are penalties in place, but I would be more than happy to look again at whether we are achieving the deterrent effect that we need. As I hope he knows—this is quite interesting—at this time of year when it is cold, one of the things that the police helicopter does, when it has spare time, is to go and look for buildings that are not exhibiting quite the same pattern of heating as others or are more insulated, because that is often a sign that something untoward is going on.