§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many retailers have been sent(a) his Department's guidance pack on the law in respect of the sale of butane gas canisters to minors and (b) his Department's warning notices on bulk packs of gas refills; what proportion of retailers selling these items this represents; and what response he has had on this matter.
§ Mr. ForthThe guidance packs for retailers, which give advice on how to recognise sniffers and refuse to sell solvent-based products to them, are funded by the Government and distributed by Re-Solv, the anti-solvent abuse charity, through trading standards departments of local authorities, and through the police. The intention is that all retailers should have a copy. There are some 290,000 retail establishments in the United Kingdom, and 300,000 guidance packs have been produced. Re-Solv has also devised a warning notice to retailers, for suppliers to put in bulk packs of butane lighter refills, and my Department has written to all known suppliers asking them to use them. The cost to suppliers is £9 per 1,000 notices.