Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the sale of razors and pencil sharpeners in shops to minors on their subsequent use for self-harm or violent purposes.

Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, created the offence of selling any knife, knife blade, razor blade, axe or any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person, to a person under the age of 18. Pencil sharpeners would not usually fall under the definition of the age restricted items.

When the legislation was debated in parliament, it was considered whether any exemptions should apply. The Government’s approach was to balance the need for young people to have access to certain small, bladed items, for example disposable razor blade cartridges, against the intended aim of reducing knife crime. The legislation reflects this approach and disposable razor cartridges are exempt from the age restriction by way of s2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order 1996.

The Home Office does not hold figures on the use of pencil sharpener blades or razor blades for use in self-harm or for violent purposes.