Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made on whether current enforcement powers available to county council Trading Standards services are sufficient to tackle illegal and illicit trading linked to organised crime on high streets.

The Government recognises the crucial role Trading Standards services play in tackling illegal and illicit trading on our high streets, including activity linked to organised crime.

At the recent Budget, the Chancellor committed £30 million over the next three years to strengthen our response to high street criminality and ensure Trading Standards and partners have the tools and resources needed to identify and dismantle organised criminal networks operating on our high street. This includes establishing a cross-government taskforce to disrupt money laundering and related criminality, boosting Trading Standards capabilities, and funding at least 45 law enforcement officers.

The taskforce will design systemic interventions to disrupt the threat and consider whether further legislative or operational changes – including in relation to local authorities – are necessary to further protect consumers and legitimate businesses.