Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review penalties imposed by the courts for people convicted of theft of telecommunications cabling and where that theft caused the loss of a telephone service to multiple households; if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of treating that type of theft as aggravated with more severe sentencing regime reflecting the (a) value of the metal stolen and (b) the inconvenience and disruption caused to a wider local community; and if he will make a statement.

Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence, and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines – which are issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The sentencing guidelines for theft make clear that the value of the goods stolen will be taken into account when establishing the harm caused, and where there is established evidence of community or wider impact arising from the offence, the sentence may be aggravated.