Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration she has given to using the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 to ban the misuse of nitrous oxide.

On 3 September 2021, the Government asked the independent statutory advisory body, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), to provide an updated assessment of the harms of nitrous oxide, including advice on whether it should be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The ACMD is independent of Government and can provide a broad range of recommendations, including advice on regulatory or legislative changes. The Government will consider the ACMD advice carefully along with any other evidence, including that relating to any potential legislative or regulatory options beyond control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, as appropriate, before deciding how to proceed.