Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect of banning the possession of a knife on a further education premises on students studying catering.
As part of the development of the new Offensive Weapons Bill, which was announced on 8 April, we held a public consultation on a number of proposals including making it an offence to possess a knife or offensive weapon in an educational institution other than a school. Legislative measures arising from the consultation, including specific details on how they will operate, will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.
Current legislation relating to the possession of knives on school premises includes a defence of possessing the knife for educational purposes and we will be looking to include the same defence in relation to further education premises. This would cover possession of a knife by catering students as part of their studies.