Speeches by Johnson.

“Perhaps I should say that, as a former chair of a Select Committee, I am very mindful that recommendations should be considered seriously by Government Departments. I would certainly expect, in the Home Office, that we would look very carefully at any report that you produce.”

“I have spoken to experts in the past, and I am thinking particularly of Dame Carol Black, who has a lot of experience in this area of drug policy and carried out the review for the previous Government. She took the view that there needed to be further evidence. I do not think that we could just work on the basis of wha…”

“It would seem to me that that is a matter for the Lord Advocate to make a decision on. I understand that her statement is quite specific about which offences she would not pursue prosecution under because it is not in the public interest. With the greatest respect, I would say that that is a matter for the Lord Advocat…”

“You are raising hypotheticals about what could actually be found in any evaluation in the future. Currently, under the Misuse of Drugs Act, you will know that providing drugs paraphernalia is an offence. I have repeated my very clear statement several times now, and it was in my written statement as well, that we do no…”

“On the basis that the UK Government does not support drug consumption facilities full stop, we would not support any additional facilities that were made available at the Thistle.”

“Thank you very much for that question. I have looked at this myself to check what was going on. I understand that the delays were not the result of problems in the Home Office. They were about the process that was being put forward and the onward checks that would have to be made in any drug-checking facility. However,…”

“To be very clear again, we do not support drug consumption facilities. It would be a matter for the Scottish Government and the Lord Advocate if further applications were made for additional pilots to be established, but, as I say very clearly, that is not UK Government policy.”

“As I have said, we accept and look at evidence and information that comes to the Home Office about drug policy from around the world. That is something that is absolutely the responsible thing to do.”

“You raise a very important point there. The Scottish Government and the UK Government have to work together on that issue of supply. I know that there is some very good work going on with the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland, with Border Force, because that supply issue is fundamental to this. The view of the …”

“With the greatest respect, Mr MacDonald, as a member of a party that was in Government that oversaw and joined with the Conservatives in the massive cuts to drug treatment services between 2010 and 2015, I think you should reflect on the position that Scotland is in because of the decisions that your party took at that…”

“We are going to go around in circles because I am telling you, Mr Flynn, with the greatest of respect, as a Minister of the Crown, the Government policy is that we are not going to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act. Therefore, there is no legal basis under the Misuse of Drugs Act for drug consumption facilities to operate.…”

“I have just set out to you that it was a cross‑party group of—”

“I am here today—”

“If I could just finish, the recommendation that was made in that Home Affairs Select Committee report in the previous Parliament was based on a group of politicians, cross-party, including your own party, that sat down and reached those recommendations together. That is very different to a Government policy that I am s…”

“Mr Flynn, you are a very experienced Member of this House and you know that, when a Member of Parliament becomes a Minister, their personal views are irrelevant, because they are there to represent the views of the Government.”

“To be clear again, drug consumption facilities are not Government policy. As Members of Parliament, we all recognise how communities can be affected by the use or misuse of drugs. I think that one of the members of the Committee raised this earlier on, about how important it is that the voices of local communities are …”

“The budget around drugs at the moment is very much skewed towards treatment and recovery. I know that under previous Governments, from 2010 onwards, there were cuts to budgets around drug treatment. It was interesting to hear the discussion in the earlier session—I think actually you raised it yourself—about the number…”

“Under the previous Government, shop theft was allowed to reach epidemic proportions. There was a 70% increase in the last two years of the previous Government. We are working hard to tackle this epidemic in every area of our country, including rural areas. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a new s…”

“May I express my concern about the attack on my hon. Friend’s constituent? It is totally unacceptable. Under the retail crime action plan, the police made operational commitments to prioritising attendance where violence had been used. Some progress has been made, but much more needs to be done. I will ensure that ever…”

“I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman might write to me with the details of what he has outlined. If so, I will look at them.”