Clause 1 - Closure notice
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
5:00 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
I will of course give way to the hon. Lady in a moment.
We are discussing organisations that the Government must take seriously when they examine which organisations are helping drug addicts as opposed to promoting drug use. Dr. Brett has written to the Department of Health pointing out that its official publications seem to run counter to Home Office objectives. The Government have to make sure that their message is unified. Rather than taking up any more of the Committee's time, I shall draw these examples, which have only just come to me, to the Minister's attention.
When we consider the premises used by these organisations, we have to look out for their publicity material. The term ''harm minimisation'' is often used as code for legalisation and gives the wrong message. The organisations' premises may need to be closed down, which is the point that relates to the clause. This is the only part of the Bill in which I can address the publicity material produced by those organisations.