Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 7517, whether it is her policy that (a) suppliers of substances listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 must report a relevant transaction only if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for the illicit manufacture of explosives or (b) suppliers of such substances should additionally report a relevant transaction if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that it is intended for other illicit uses; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending the Poisons Act 1972 to clarify that policy intention.

The Poisons Act 1972 places a legal requirement on retailers of all substances listed under Schedule 1A to report any suspicious transactions, loss or thefts to the Anti-Terrorist hotline on 0800 789321 or Chemical.Reporting@Met.Police.UK

In addition to this, there is a range of guidance available to retailers of these substances on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hazardous-sites-and-substances#epp-licensing:-guidance-for-businesses

We are currently reviewing the Poisons Act 1972 and how it can be amended to prevent the use of hazardous substances to cause harm. As part of this review, the Home Secretary announced that sulphuric acid would become a regulated substance under Part 1 of Schedule 1A.