Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the compliance of internet suppliers of nitrous oxide with their obligations under the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985.
Answered by Sarah Newton
The Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) 2016, which came into force on 26 May 2016, repealed the Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985. The PSA makes it an offence to offer to supply psychoactive substances and that includes advertising substances for sale on the internet. Since commencement of the PSA, action has been taken by law enforcement bodies to prevent such substances being sold by UK-based websites.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she will consider reclassifying nitrous oxide as a controlled substance.
Answered by Sarah Newton
We have no plans to reclassify nitrous oxide as a controlled substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Under the Psychoative Substances Act 2016, it is illegal to supply nitrous oxide if the drug is likely to be consumed for psychoactive effect.
In March 2015, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) reported that it did not consider that the harmfulness of nitrous oxide warranted control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. If there were increasing evidence about the harmfulness of nitrous oxide, we would approach the ACMD for an assessment of whether the substance should be included under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Dudley South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress the Government has made in accepting into the UK from other EU countries unaccompanied children claiming asylum from Syria.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France. Approximately 200 of these children met the criteria for section 67 of the Immigration Act.
Under section 67 of the Immigration Act in France, we considered all those aged 12 and under, all children referred to us by the French authorities assessed as being at a high risk of sexual exploitation, and those nationalities most likely to qualify for refugee status in the UK, aged 15 or below, including Syrian nationals. All children, including Syrian nationals, who have close family in the UK were considered for transfer under the Dublin Regulation, regardless of age or nationality.
More eligible children will be transferred from Europe, in line with the terms of the Immigration Act, in the coming months and we will continue to meet our obligations under the Dublin Regulation. The process and criteria for the transfer of children from Europe under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 will be published in due course.