Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will create a formal police referral system across forces to report children found with drugs to the police force and social services where the child is living.

We are supporting the establishment of the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre by providing specific funding of £3.6 million over the next two years. The Centre is being established by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead and the National Crime Agency and will help bring the law enforcement effort together and build better safeguarding links. The Centre will be fully operational later this year.