§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations he had, and with whom, before reaching his conclusion about the need for legislation to make it an offence to sell substances to people under the age of 16 years for inhaling;
318W(2) what representations he has received on the need for an offence of selling substances to persons aged under 16 years for the purposes of inhaling to achieve intoxication;
(3) what evidence he has that persons in England and Wales have been selling substances to young people under the age of 16 years knowing or having reasonable grounds for believing that they are likely to be inhaled to achieve intoxication;
(4) whether he has any evidence of the sales of glue sniffing kits in England and Wales.
§ Mr. MellorThere have been isolated reports of sales of glue-sniffing kits in England and Wales. There is no firm evidence as yet that persons in England and Wales have been selling solvents to young people knowing or having reasonable grounds for believing that they are likely to be inhaled to achieve intoxication; it is the Government's aim to prevent this happening.
Since the conviction last December of two Glasgow shopkeepers for selling glue sniffing kits, Home Office Ministers have been asked eight questions on the subject of solvent misuse, five of them on the question of legislation on sales. We have received some 20 letters from hon. Members, mostly raising this question, and a number of letters from the general public. Wide ranging consultations on the desirability of legislation to restrict generally the sale of solvents to young people were undertaken by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services last year. Consultations are currently in progress with the police and representatives of manufacturers' and retailers' associations on the specific proposals my right hon. and learned Friend announced on 3 May.