§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of prohibiting the sale of the most dangerous and commonly abused volatile substances to those under 16 years of age. [13130]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985 makes it an offence for retailers to sell substances to a person under the age of 18 if they have reason to believe that the young person intends to inhale them or their fumes for the purpose of intoxication. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs undertook a study into volatile substance abuse, the results of which were published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in 1995. A copy of their report "Volatile Substance Abuse" is in the Library. They concluded that there were no acceptable legislative changes which would do more than the Act already does to protect young people.