Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have held discussions with the government of China about the importation of stolen and trackable mobile phones from the UK.

Tackling mobile phone theft is a key priority for this Government. In February, the Home Secretary brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, local government representatives, leading technology companies and others to drive greater collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.

The Summit resulted in commitments from attendees to work in partnership, including to significantly boost the sharing of data and intelligence on mobile phone theft to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, better understand the role of organised crime networks (both in the UK and overseas), and identify the most effective means of tackling these crimes.

While we have not held discussions with the government of China about the importation of stolen mobile phones from the UK, we are continuing to engage with international partners and multilateral organisations to share information and explore further opportunities for cooperation in order to most effectively tackle mobile phone theft.

The Home Secretary will reconvene relevant stakeholders in due course to review progress made and determine next steps to ensure that the police, technology companies and the Government continue to work together to tackle this criminality.