Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to introduce a national strategy to reduce the exploitation of children in county lines drug trafficking.

The Government is committed to tackling county lines drug trafficking and supporting those exploited by this harmful activity.

On 6 December the Government published a ten-year Drug Strategy which sets out a whole-system approach of how the Government is doing more than ever to cut off the supply of drugs by criminal gangs.

Through the Strategy, we are bolstering our flagship County Lines Programme, investing up to £145m to tackle the most violent and exploitative distribution model yet seen. Since November 2019 police activity funded by the County Lines Programme has closed over 2,400 lines, made over 8,000 arrests, and engaged over 9,500 individuals through safeguarding interventions.

As part of the County Lines Programme, we are investing up to £5m over three financial years 2022-25 to provide support to victims of county lines exploitation and their families. This includes specialist support for under 25s from London, the West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester who are criminally exploited through county lines, to help them safely reduce and exit their involvement and a confidential national helpline service to young people and their families/carers who are affected by county lines exploitation.