Online access to banned drugs
Accessibility of banned dangerous drugs (e.g., Dinitrophenol) online and the influence of social media in promoting their use.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 5 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
5 inquiry recs
69 PFD reports
20 committee recs
1 patient safety alert
1 LGO/SPSO decision
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry recommendations(5)
FR-20 — Age Verification Online
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its The Internet Investigation Report, dated March 2020) that the UK government introduces legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification measures.
Gov response: We accept the need to protect children from harmful and age-inappropriate content. The Online Safety Bill requires all in-scope companies to assess whether their service is likely to be accessed by children and, if so, …
Accepted in Part
106 — Online age verification legislation
Recommendation: The government should introduce legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification techniques on all relevant devices.
Gov response: On 12 May 2021, the UK government published a draft Online Safety Bill, which includes a clause that will require providers of regulated services to conduct an assessment of whether children are likely to access …
Accepted
105 — WeProtect international action on CSAM
Recommendation: The government should press the WeProtect Global Alliance to take more action internationally to ensure that those countries hosting indecent images of children implement legislation and procedures to prevent access to such imagery.
Gov response: On 10 November 2020, the UK government committed to continue working with the WeProtect Global Alliance to make combating indecent images of children, grooming and live streaming a priority. It stated that it would do …
Accepted
FR-12 — Pre-screening by Internet Providers
Recommendation: The Inquiry recommends that the UK government makes it mandatory for all regulated providers of search services and user-to-user services to pre-screen for known child sexual abuse material.
Gov response: We accept the need to hold companies to account for removing, reporting and limiting the spread of child sexual abuse material on their services. The UK’s world- leading Online Safety Bill will address this by …
Accepted in Part
71 — Pre-screen material before upload
Recommendation: The government should require industry to pre-screen material before it is uploaded to the internet to prevent access to known indecent images of children.
Gov response: On 10 November 2020, the UK government stated that it had launched the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse alongside the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The interim code of …
Not Accepted
Prevention of Future Deaths reports(69)— showing 50 strongest matches
Christopher Scott
Concerns: The 'legal high' AMT is readily available for purchase despite clear evidence of its deadly effects, raising concerns about its unregulated status and accessibility to the public.
Overdue
Luke Jacob Goodwin
Concerns: The unrestricted sale of large helium canisters without flow control valves, combined with readily available online suicide guides, facilitates self-harm and raises serious safety concerns.
Overdue
Hazel Polkinghorn
Concerns: The easy online acquisition of dangerous non-prescribed medication, like Pentobarbital, poses a significant risk of future deaths, necessitating government intervention to regulate such websites.
Overdue
Victoria Meppen-Walter
Concerns: Concerns were raised regarding the easy online availability and regulation of chloroquine, along with the associated risks of its misuse.
Overdue
David Giles
Concerns: The coroner raises concerns about the unrestricted availability of helium gas canisters, their standard size and lack of modified control valves, and the ease of accessing information on suicide methods using helium gas online.
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health acknowledges the concerns regarding the sale of helium gas and references a previous response to a similar case. They provide a copy of that earlier reply.
Responded
Matthew Flatman
Concerns: The slow process of proscribing the "legal high" MDAI/Gogaine poses a fatal risk, particularly to users with cardiac problems, requiring accelerated action.
Overdue
Samuel Duckworth
Concerns: The ease of purchasing prescription-only drugs like Diazepam via the internet without medical supervision creates an ongoing risk for vulnerable individuals.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office acknowledges concerns about the supply of prescription-only medicines online, noting ongoing work with law enforcement and internet providers to close illegal websites. They highlight international collaboration and …
Responded
Jason Houghton
Concerns: The unregulated online supply and international importation of Class A drugs, specifically Diacetyl Morphine/Heroin in pill form via postal systems, poses a significant risk of future deaths.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office acknowledges concerns about online drug supply, notes ongoing efforts by law enforcement to close UK-based websites and work with international partners. Since the death, the MHRA closed …
Responded
Anthony Garrett
Concerns: Readily available and misused synthetic cannabinoids, despite warnings, are dangerous and caused a fatal cardiac event. Concerns were raised about their legal status and control.
Overdue
Thaker Hafid
Concerns: The free availability and high potency/toxicity of the unlicensed 'designer drug' Acetylfentanyl, sold over the internet, poses a significant risk of future deaths.
Overdue
Jacques Lakeman and Torin Lakeman
Concerns: Easy access to anonymous 'Dark Web' sites for unregulated illicit drugs with unknown potency and content poses a significant and ongoing risk of future deaths.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office acknowledges the concerns, describes actions taken by the NCA and Border Force to combat online drug supply, and states that law enforcement agencies have powers to act …
Responded
Catherine Findlay
Concerns: Concerns about the availability and misuse of dangerous "research chemicals" like MXP, which are freely marketed online, consumed, and pose a life-threatening risk.
Response: The Minister notes the concern about MXP and refers to the Psychoactive Substances Bill creating a blanket ban on the supply of NPS. The government has launched a toolkit to …
Overdue
Arenijus Nedzelskies
Concerns: Specific synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (5F AKB-48, 5F PB-22) are not controlled substances, and the deceased's chronic misuse was not reported to the DVLA.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office highlights that the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 restricts the production, supply and importation of psychoactive substances, and notes over 500 new drugs have already been banned. It …
Overdue
Elvis Snelson
Concerns: The "legal high" acetylfentanyl, a highly potent opioid, poses significant risks due to users being unaware of its opioid nature, leading to dangerous sedation and respiratory depression.
Overdue
Darren Mindham
Concerns: Pentobarbital, a Schedule 3 drug, is frequently used in suicides due to less strict controls; stricter regulation could reduce suicide rates.
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health states that the classification of Pentobarbital is a matter for the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), not the Department of Health, and advises …
Responded
Lee Davies
Concerns: Hostel staff lacked specific training on monitoring and safeguarding residents found after illicit drug use, instead only focusing on overdose recognition, leaving at-risk individuals unmonitored.
Response (The Wallich): The Wallich will present a PowerPoint on 'Dealing with Drug Overdose' to staff by the end of August 2016, revise their policy to include Cymorth Cymru's guidance by August 2016, …
Responded
Anna Phillips
Concerns: The deceased obtained a dangerous, unlicensed weight loss drug (2,4 Dinitrophenol) online, which is known to cause fatalities.
Response (Food Standard Agency): The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) continues to prioritise tackling the illegal sale of DNP, sharing intelligence with Border Force, Royal Mail, and Post Office Investigations, and monitoring the internet …
Responded
Jane Powell
Concerns: The ease with which large quantities of prescription-only medication can be obtained over the internet poses a significant risk of future deaths.
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health provides background on regulations and describes Operation Pangea and the FakeMeds campaign; MHRA will investigate further once it receives information from Greater Manchester Police.
Overdue
Bethany Shipsey
Concerns: The highly toxic and antidote-less drug DNP is readily available online and popular as a 'diet drug.' There is a lack of legislation making its possession or supply illegal.
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health acknowledges concerns about DNP and highlights existing actions including FSA's '#dnpkills' campaign, monitoring by the National Poisons Information Service, and warnings issued to GPs and emergency …
Responded
Jennifer Lacey
Concerns: Concerns were raised about dangerous, addictive drugs being freely available online and prescribed by foreign doctors without patient contact or GP record access, potentially filled by UK pharmacies without adequate checks.
Response (NHS England): NHS England acknowledges concerns about online availability of potentially dangerous drugs like Tramadol, but states that the death was not a result of NHS services. They are working with other …
Overdue
Kristiyan Danailov
Concerns: Insufficient identity checks and obstacles exist to prevent vulnerable individuals from purchasing hazardous items online, indicating a lack of industry awareness about associated risks.
Overdue
Imran Mahmood
Concerns: E-cigarettes in prison are being misused as heating devices for drug preparation, highlighting a significant safety risk related to both illicit drug use and potential fires.
Response (HM Prison and Probation Services): HMPPS is considering alternative vape devices, including one using vapourless valve technology, to mitigate risks associated with e-cigarettes in prisons, but is constrained by cost and commercial availability.
Responded
Deborah Headspeath
Concerns: There's no unified database for tracking patient prescriptions, enabling uncoordinated medication supplies, especially from unregulated online prescribers. Advisory guidance for pharmacists on online prescriptions lacks mandatory adherence and clear sanctions.
Response (The Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the CQC and regulators to better regulate online prescribers. Measures already taken include co-authoring principles of good practice in remote …
Responded
Gemma Macdonald
Concerns: The unchecked online availability of large quantities of medication, without systems to verify purchaser suitability or limit transaction amounts and frequency, poses a significant risk.
Response (the Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges concerns about online access to medicines and outlines existing regulations and initiatives to improve patient safety, including the Falsified Medicines Directive and …
Overdue
Jerrelle McKenzie
Concerns: The deceased accessed Dinitrophenol (DNP), a drug banned in the UK since 1938 due to its harmful effects, via the internet, likely influenced by social media, leading to his overdose.
Overdue
Valdotas Gerbutavicius
Concerns: Inadequate legislation and a lack of internet sales prohibitions allow dangerous DNP 'diet pills' to remain readily available online, leading to numerous deaths among vulnerable people.
Overdue
Jason Thompson
Concerns: A website may be illegally promoting suicide methods, and a lethal substance is too easily available online under a misleading description, posing significant public safety risks.
Response (Metalchem Ltd): Metalchem Ltd stopped selling Sodium Nitrite on eBay in April 2020 after becoming aware of its recommendation on suicide forums. They contacted other sellers to request they stop selling the …
Response (Ebay UK Ltd): Ebay banned the sale of sodium nitrite as a chemical globally in 2019 and updated filters to prevent listings, after a report of potential misuse for suicide attempts. They analyzed …
Response (Dept. of Health Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care highlights existing actions to reduce suicide rates, including the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England and the Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan, which addresses harmful …
Responded
Lee Elliott
Concerns: Toxic substances are easily and cheaply obtainable online without safeguards, and are advocated on websites as a method for suicide, leading to multiple deaths.
Response (Dept of Health and Social Care): The Department acknowledges concerns about the availability of suicide methods online and outlines actions to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, including reducing access to the …
Responded
Linda Gillchrest
Concerns: Unrestricted online access to detailed suicide instructions and the ability to purchase lethal quantities of substances without safeguards pose significant risks to vulnerable individuals.
Response (Dept of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care highlights ongoing actions to reduce suicide rates through the Suicide Prevention Strategy and Workplan, including reducing access to means online. They are also …
Overdue
Jamie O’Connor
Concerns: Lack of a central medication tracking system, no mandatory GP contact, and insufficient consultation processes in online prescribing platforms risk over-prescription, drug interactions, and patient harm.
Response (GMC): The GMC updated its prescribing guidance in February 2021 to place greater emphasis on good practice principles regardless of consultation method and highlights the need for dialogue with patients and …
Response (GPC): The GPhC outlines its role in setting standards for registered pharmacies and pharmacy professionals and taking enforcement action when standards are not met, including actions against online pharmacies supplying high-risk …
Response (CQC): CQC has been in formal discussion with DHSC and submitted proposals for legislative changes to improve risk management of online primary care providers, and is working with regulatory partners to …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): DHSC acknowledges the concerns and describes the regulatory framework for medicines, including the roles of MHRA and GPhC, without outlining specific actions beyond existing oversight.
Overdue
Jack Ritchie
Concerns: The report identifies that the system of regulation did not prevent the deceased from gambling when addicted, warnings were insufficient, and training for medical professionals on gambling addiction was lacking, particularly for GPs.
Overdue
James Forryan
Concerns: Easily accessible websites openly promote and provide guidance on suicide methods, contributing to deaths. There is a lack of sufficient regulation and enforcement against such harmful online content.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care is taking steps to protect users online with the Online Safety Bill, working with stakeholders to remove harmful suicide and self-harm content. They …
Responded
Edward Capovila
Concerns: Insufficient information regarding unusual methods of fentanyl misuse poses a significant risk of future deaths due to its potential for varied abuse.
Response (Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency): The MHRA issued a drug safety bulletin in 2014 warning of overdose risk with fentanyl patches exposed to heat. In 2019, they reviewed benefits/risks and made recommendations for regulatory action, …
Responded
Neha Raju
Concerns: Lethal substances are readily available for purchase online and delivered within the UK without safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals from making such purchases.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care is working to set up a national near-Real Time Suspected Suicide Surveillance System (nRTSSS), likely to be operational by the end of Spring …
Responded
Gary Cooper
Concerns: The death of an individual with depression and psychosis by suicide highlights potential concerns regarding the adequacy of mental health support and intervention.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health is working with the Home Office on the sale of substances used in suicide, and is working to minimise the availability of harmful, suicide-related content online. …
Responded
Ania Sohail
Concerns: Online prescribing lacks integrated systems to prevent over-prescription or inform GPs of dispensed medication, posing risks. Additionally, mental health care plans contained inaccuracies and staff lacked mandatory refresher training.
Response (Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust): Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust has replaced the Recovery and Discharge Plan with the ATAC care plan, developed a care bundle to improve observations, updated its policy regarding patient …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): NHS England is running Proof of Concepts to expand Summary Care Record access to private hospitals and healthcare services, with learnings to be reported to an Expert Advisory Committee for …
Responded
Chloe Macdermott
Concerns: Online forums encourage suicide by providing methods without age restrictions or help signposting, and harmful content is not effectively removed. Lethal products are also easily purchased via international online retailers and delivered to the UK without effective border controls.
Response (Amazon UK): Amazon has globally restricted the sale of high concentration sodium nitrite to Amazon Business customers since October 2022 and prohibits the sale of poisons as defined under Schedule 1A of …
Response (British Transport Police): The NPCC Suicide Prevention Steering Group has disseminated briefing materials to all NPCC force and regional suicide prevention leads regarding the emerging trend of Sodium Nitrate and Nitrite use in …
Response (Ofcom): Ofcom is implementing the Online Safety Act 2023, developing codes of practice to address illegal content and protect children, and will take enforcement action against non-compliant services, including financial penalties …
Response (Google UK & Ireland): Google Search prevents predictions for queries relating to methods of suicide and provides prominent signposting to authoritative information and support when users search for suicide-related terms, and delists content that …
Response (DSIT): DSIT outlines how the Online Safety Act will force companies to take more accountability for the safety of their users, including those who use VPNs to bypass protections, and details …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): DHSC leads a cross-government group to tackle emerging methods of suicide, including sodium nitrite, reducing public access, and working with retailers to ensure labeling compliance for products like curing salt.
Overdue
Kimberley Liu
Concerns: Unregulated websites facilitate dangerous, unchecked sales of prescription-only sedative medications, actively instructing customers to evade detection, which exploits vulnerable individuals and poses a suicide risk.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The MHRA addresses illegal sale of prescription medications, working with partners across government; the Online Safety Act will give powers to Ofcom to ensure platforms remove illegal content; a national …
Responded
Adrian Gallagher
Concerns: An online book providing explicit, step-by-step suicide instructions, including methods to avoid detection, is readily accessible with inadequate age verification, posing a significant risk to vulnerable individuals.
Response (National Crime Agency): The National Crime Agency (NCA) is engaging with Ofcom to combat illegal suicide content online under the Online Safety Act. It also mentions the HMG Drugs Strategy, the Suicide Prevention …
Response (Department for Science Innovation and Techonology): The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology outlines how the Online Safety Act will require tech companies to take responsibility for user safety and remove illegal content, including suicide and …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care is reviewing actions to reduce harm from suicide-related publications and collaborating with government departments, charities, and experts. They lead a cross-sector working group …
Responded
William Helstrip
Concerns: The initial police investigation failed to properly probe drug sourcing via the "Dark Web" and Royal Mail, leading to the irretrievable loss of critical, time-sensitive evidence.
Response (Humberside Police): Humberside Police is developing an intranet resource for officers on coroner's inquiries, refreshing training on fast-track actions and golden hour principles, reviewing the sudden and unexpected death policy regarding drug-related …
Responded
Guy Scotchford
Concerns: An active website provides detailed instructions and direct purchasing links for substances to end one's life, posing a significant risk to vulnerable individuals.
Response (National Crime Agency): The NCA is engaging with Ofcom to combat suicide content online and welcomes the government's commitment to reducing suicide. It highlights the Criminal Justice Bill and work by the Department …
Response (Department for Science Innovation Technology): The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology acknowledges the concerns and outlines the provisions of the Online Safety Act, noting that offences under the Suicide Act 1961 are under the …
Responded
Mary Jones
Concerns: Amazon continues to sell a "well known suicide book" which is easily accessible and quickly deliverable, despite awareness of its potential for harm and a previous coroner's intervention.
Response (Amazon): Amazon has reviewed the book against its content guidelines and decided not to remove it from sale. They display a banner on the product detail page offering information on how …
Responded
Deborah Cooper
Concerns: Books providing explicit instructions on methods for ending one's life are freely available on Amazon.co.uk. Concerns are raised about the marketing, supply, and lack of regulation for such publications.
Response (Amazon): Amazon has reviewed the books against their content guidelines and decided not to remove them from sale, but displays a banner on the product page with information on how to …
Response (Department for Business and Trade): The Department for Business and Trade acknowledges the concerns but states there is limited scope to address the issues through existing consumer protection legislation and refers to other legislation and …
Responded
Jonathan Shaw
Concerns: UK Border Force lacks legal powers and national guidance to effectively seize or manage consignments of substances ordered for self-harm, with no mandatory notification or welfare checks before release.
Response (Home Office): The Home Office is actively exploring legislative and policy options regarding Border Force powers to seize substances used for suicide, and will engage across government to highlight the issue; the …
Overdue
Nigel Dixon
Concerns: Failures in hospital-to-community pharmacy communication allowed a patient access to morphine after cessation. Additionally, the unregulated online sale of Zopiclone in large quantities presented a significant overdose risk.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care outlines enforcement actions against illicit trade of medicines by the MHRA, and strengthening of regulation around online content. NHS England promotes the Discharge …
Overdue
Deborah Cooper
Concerns: A book detailing suicide methods is freely available on Amazon UK, and existing legislative frameworks, including the Suicide Act and Online Safety Act, appear ineffective in preventing its marketing and supply.
Response (Science Innovation and Technology): The Secretary of State acknowledges the coroner's concerns regarding the Online Safety Act and its application to potentially harmful content on platforms like Amazon, but states that enforcement is the …
Responded
Bethany Langton
Concerns: The easy online availability of lethal Sodium Nitrite, combined with suppliers' unawareness of its misuse and slow removal of suicide-related online guidance, facilitates self-harm.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The DHSC leads an emerging methods working group to prevent access to harmful substances and involves multiple agencies. The Online Safety Act requires services to rapidly remove regulated content and …
Overdue
Hannah Aitken
Concerns: The increasing use of for self-harm is not centrally monitored, and current legislation fails to control the import and availability of substances used for poisoning, despite known risks.
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): DHSC is working with the Home Office and other stakeholders to consider potential regulation of a concerning substance. They are also working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to bring …
Response (Home Office): The Home Office is working with the Department for Health and Social Care to consider the potential benefits and proportionality of further regulation regarding the substance in question. Border Force …
Responded
Miranda Avanzi
Concerns: The widespread and easily accessible availability of explicit, step-by-step suicide guides online, often without age verification, poses a significant risk, enabling vulnerable individuals to self-harm.
Response (DSIT): DSIT is working with Ofcom to implement the Online Safety Act 2023, which tackles illegal and legal forms of online suicide content. The Act requires services to assess the risk …
Response (Ofcom): Ofcom is providing guidance to services on identifying content that illegally encourages or assists suicide, and search providers have duties to remove or lower the ranking of illegal suicide content. …
Responded
John Ellis
Concerns: Inadequate controls and verification processes allowed a veterinary surgeon to easily access a lethal controlled drug, enabling him to misuse it for self-harm without scrutiny.
Response (Veterinary Medicines Directorate): The VMD provides guidance on the use and storage of veterinary controlled drugs and is producing an article reminding vets of their responsibilities. The VMD investigates breaches of the Veterinary …
Response (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons): The RCVS will consider additional core requirements in the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) requiring practices to have individualized suicide prevention plans, review the legislative requirements for schedule 2 CDs and …
Responded
Select committee recommendations(20)
#15 — Ofcom will use engagement-first approach for non-compliance, resorting to enforcement for serious risks.
Recommendation: Ofcom explained that, where non-compliance issues arise, it will approach services with an engagement-first attitude and would not normally move straight to enforcement. It described a recent example of its engagement with an overseas-based website about how to commit suicide.29 …
Gov response: 3.6 Ofcom expects services to engage constructively and openly, and to be willing to make improvements. Ofcom will use its enforcement powers where it considers appropriate, reasonable, and proportionate to do so, guided by its …
Not Addressed
#166 — Take urgent steps to address the evolving threat of New Psychoactive Substances in prisons.
Recommendation: Given the extreme potency and low lethal dose of substances such as Nitazenes and Fentanyl, the circulation of these drugs in prisons leads to a high risk of drug-related deaths and overdoses, as tragically seen at HMP Parc. The MoJ …
Gov response: We welcome the Committee’s focus on positive staff-prisoner relationships, which are vital to rehabilitation. To ensure prison officers can effectively support prisoners with a drug dependency, we must tackle stigma, and improve staff understanding of …
Accepted
#165 — Significant shift towards undetected New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in prisons.
Recommendation: We are deeply concerned by the significant shift towards the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), most notably synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic opioids. Their popularity is due to their affordability, accessibility and their potency. In turning to these drugs, prisoners …
Gov response: Purposeful activity plays an important role in the prevention of drug use and supporting recovery within prisons. The Government remains firmly committed, as set out in our manifesto, to improving this and ensuring prisons are …
Accepted
#5 — Require the Gambling Commission to set out plans to improve black market monitoring
Recommendation: While the black market is a risk the Government and Gambling Commission must be mindful of, it should not deter appropriate regulation of the licensed sector. The debate about the threat posed by the black market partly stems from a …
Gov response: 5. The Government’s white paper set out 62 specific policy proposals for the Government, the Gambling Commission, and the gambling industry to take forward in order to implement the reform of gambling regulation. As the …
Under Consideration
#4 — Address unlicensed gambling sites targeting self-excluded users through new legislative powers.
Recommendation: We consider that while it will be important to monitor the size of the black market in response to greater regulation, more pertinent is the fact that, right now, a number of easily-accessible illegal sites are targeting some of those …
Gov response: 5. The Government’s white paper set out 62 specific policy proposals for the Government, the Gambling Commission, and the gambling industry to take forward in order to implement the reform of gambling regulation. As the …
Under Consideration
#12 —
Recommendation: We are highly concerned that a compressed festival season, the likely circulation of high-strength, adulterated drugs and increased risk-taking after lockdown will lead to a spike in drug-related deaths at festivals this summer. We heard compelling 34 The future of …
Gov response: The government has a strong track record on investing to tackle drug misuse through the Home Office. No illicit drug can be assumed to be safe and there is no safe way to take illicit …
Not Addressed
#29 — Utilise existing legislation to investigate and hold accountable websites facilitating sexual exploitation trafficking.
Recommendation: Until new legislation is introduced prohibiting profiting from or enabling the prostitution of another person, law enforcement should utilise all available legislation to investigate and hold accountable websites that facilitate trafficking for sexual exploitation. This includes legislation prohibiting companies from …
Gov response: 30. The Government shares the Committee’s concern on this issue, and we continue to address forced labour in global supply chains through Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These provisions have resulted in …
Under Consideration
#28 — Implement all measures to tackle online sexual exploitation trafficking, including targeting money laundering.
Recommendation: The Home Office and law enforcement should be taking all measures possible to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation online, so that it is no longer so easy or profitable for perpetrators to make money from sexual exploitation, including by ‘following …
Gov response: 30. The Government shares the Committee’s concern on this issue, and we continue to address forced labour in global supply chains through Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These provisions have resulted in …
Under Consideration
#27 — Extend legislation to prohibit individuals or companies enabling or profiting from another's online prostitution.
Recommendation: Legislation which bans third party profit-taking from the prostitution of another person should be extended to prohibit any individual or company from enabling and/ or profiting from the prostitution of another person, including facilitation that takes place via online, digital …
Gov response: 27. The Government is aware of different legislative approaches to prostitution across Europe, including in Northern Ireland, where all buying of sex has been criminalised and selling decriminalised. We have yet to see unequivocal evidence …
Under Consideration
#26 — Websites advertising prostitution facilitate sexual exploitation; collaboration with them is inexplicable and ineffective.
Recommendation: Websites advertising prostitution significantly facilitate trafficking for sexual exploitation. The threat posed by websites advertising prostitution, the continuing failure of their owners to implement even the most basic safeguards against pimping and trafficking, and the sheer scale of trafficking for …
Gov response: 27. The Government is aware of different legislative approaches to prostitution across Europe, including in Northern Ireland, where all buying of sex has been criminalised and selling decriminalised. We have yet to see unequivocal evidence …
Under Consideration
#13 —
Recommendation: We recommend that, before festivals take place this summer, the Home Secretary should make regulations under section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 that allow organisations conducting drug checking to operate lawfully. Thereafter, the Government should introduce a …
Gov response: The government has a strong track record on investing to tackle drug misuse through the Home Office. No illicit drug can be assumed to be safe and there is no safe way to take illicit …
Not Addressed
#30 — Enforce Online Safety Act against prostitution websites enabling multiple adverts, lacking identity verification.
Recommendation: In order to enforce the provisions in the Online Safety Act requiring websites to take action against trafficking occurring on their sites, Ofcom should take immediate and full enforcement action against any website advertising prostitution that enables the same phone …
Gov response: 30. The Government shares the Committee’s concern on this issue, and we continue to address forced labour in global supply chains through Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These provisions have resulted in …
Under Consideration
#25 — Establish technology company responsibility for proactively tackling online human trafficking with penalties.
Recommendation: Ofcom should set out in its codes of practice the responsibility of technology companies for proactively identifying and tackling human trafficking on their online platforms, with significant penalties imposed for non-compliance with their statutory duties.
Gov response: 27. The Government is aware of different legislative approaches to prostitution across Europe, including in Northern Ireland, where all buying of sex has been criminalised and selling decriminalised. We have yet to see unequivocal evidence …
Under Consideration
#25 — Consult on additional smartphone measures for children under 16, including bans and controls
Recommendation: The next Government should work alongside Ofcom to consult on additional measures regarding smartphones for children under 16 years old within the first year of the new Parliament. Measures to consider should include the total ban of smartphones (internet-enabled phones) …
Gov response: The government remains focused on the successful and effective implementation of the Online Safety Act and its provisions so that children can benefit from its wide-reaching protections as quickly as possible. We will continue to …
Not Addressed
#24 — Children are exposed to online harms through smartphone and social media use
Recommendation: It is clear that children are exposed to online harms when using smart phones to access the internet and, in particular, social media platforms. We support calls for tighter controls on the sale of smart phones to children under 16 …
Gov response: The government remains focused on the successful and effective implementation of the Online Safety Act and its provisions so that children can benefit from its wide-reaching protections as quickly as possible. We will continue to …
Not Accepted
#23 — Apply Online Safety Act penalties to social media companies breaching age verification requirements
Recommendation: Decisions made by the Government on the level of the digital age of consent must be effectively enforced. Ofcom must need to be able to go further than simply naming and shaming those who breach age verification measures. The Online …
Gov response: The government expects Ofcom to prioritise the duties that relate to protecting children in their approach to enforcement. In their enforcement guidelines, Ofcom will be required to set out how they will consider any impact …
Accepted
#22 — Launch cross-government consultation on raising the digital age of consent to 16
Recommendation: The next Government must launch a consultation by the end of the year on whether 13 is a reasonable age of digital consent, or whether it should be raised. The next Government should recommend 16 as a more appropriate age. …
Gov response: Under the UK GDPR, consent of the individual provides a lawful ground for processing personal data. When information society services rely on this lawful ground to process personal data, the UK GDPR and the Data …
Not Addressed
#21 — Implement robust age verification on social media platforms and urgently debate digital age of consent.
Recommendation: Although we welcome attempts by Ofcom to make platforms safer for children who use them, it is clear that the entire system surrounding the digital age of consent and how it is verified is not fit for purpose. Until there …
Gov response: Under the UK GDPR, consent of the individual provides a lawful ground for processing personal data. When information society services rely on this lawful ground to process personal data, the UK GDPR and the Data …
Not Addressed
#20 — Expedite Online Safety Act implementation with Ofcom and implement robust age verification on platforms.
Recommendation: The next Government must work with Ofcom to ensure that there are no delays to implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 and set out how it is working with Ofcom to ensure children are protected during the transition period. …
Gov response: The Online Safety Act lays the foundation for strong protections against illegal content and activity, and harmful material for children online. The government is committed to working with Ofcom to ensure the Online Safety Act …
Accepted
#19 — Children's full protection under the Online Safety Act is delayed until 2026 implementation.
Recommendation: The Online Safety Act 2023 will undoubtably play a role in keeping children safe from online harms. However, we are concerned that children will not feel the full protections of the Act until implementation is completed in 2026.
Gov response: The Online Safety Act lays the foundation for strong protections against illegal content and activity, and harmful material for children online. The government is committed to working with Ofcom to ensure the Online Safety Act …
Not Addressed