Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Jake Berry Excerpts
Monday 19th March 2012

(12 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Damian Green Portrait Damian Green
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The hon. Lady makes a very good point. That is why, as part of the action plan that the Minister for Equalities announced recently, the Home Office is funding organisations that support the victims of disability hate crime to find a way to make it easier for those who are particularly reluctant to report it to come forward.

Jake Berry Portrait Jake Berry (Rossendale and Darwen) (Con)
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12. What steps she is taking to tackle metal theft.

Nick de Bois Portrait Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)
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16. What steps she is taking to tackle metal theft.

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James Brokenshire Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (James Brokenshire)
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As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in a statement to the House in January, we are taking legislative action to tackle metal theft, including raising the financial penalties for rogue dealers, banning cash payments for scrap metal and giving the police powers to enter unregistered scrap yards. That is part of a coherent package of measures, which includes enhanced enforcement through the funding of a £5 million national metal theft taskforce.

Jake Berry Portrait Jake Berry
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Rossendale and Darwen has been subjected to a spate of metal thefts, including from the mills and, on Thursday night, from a school in Lower Darwen. Will the Minister inform the House how quickly the cashless payment system will be introduced to stop this metallic crime wave?