Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the updated leaflet entitled Sell Chemical Products Responsibly, published by her Department on 4 April 2018, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of that leaflet in giving guidance to online retailers on their statutory duty to report suspicious purchases under the Poisons Act 1972.

The “Sell Chemical Products Responsibly” leaflet was re-issued following amendments to Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 laid on 3 April. It was designed with face to face transactions in mind, providing some indicators of suspicious transactions as well as how to identify products of concern and report suspicions. Specific, tailored guidance has been shared with online retailers to support their reporting obligation under the same Act.