Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2018 to Question 199271 and paragraph 20 of the National Crime Agency’s January 2019 report entitled County lines drug supply, Vulnerability and Harm 2018, whether he plans to gather information about children under 10 years of age involved in county lines.

A key purpose of the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) is to develop the national intelligence picture in relation to the threat from county lines. In addition, in November 2018 the Director General of the National Crime Agency formally tasked all Chief Constables under the Crime and Courts Act 2013, to direct all forces to implement a more consistent and prioritised intelligence and operational response in respect of county lines drugs supply, to include the submission of intelligence to the NCLCC and a prioritised response to high-risk lines and gangs.

The gathering of intelligence in relation to any known county lines activity will include, if they are involved and where known, children under the age of 10.