Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the National County Lines Coordination Centre to become operational; how many staff that centre is planned to employ; and how many of those staff are planned to be (a) full-time and (b) part-time.

The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre has been established jointly by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead and the National Crime Agency and is a commitment in the Serious Violence Strategy. A hub within the National Crime Agency has been active since early this year, and the Centre became fully operational in September. It has around 40 staff but we do not have a breakdown between full-time and part-time staff but we will provide the Hon. Member with one wehn we receive it.