Clause 30 - Manufacture, import and sale of realistic imitation firearms
Violent Crime Reduction Bill
4:00 pm
Jonathan Djanogly (Shadow Solicitor General (Also Assists Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs), (Assist the Home Affairs Team); Huntingdon, Conservative)
I was interested to hear that transactions abroad will be legal. In some ways, I am happy that owners of realistic imitation handguns will have a sales outlet. However, it confirms my fear that owners will be forced to sell overseas, so we shall export to our European neighbours the problem that the Minister says we have. I am not sure how neighbourly that is, or to what extent she has discussed it with her counterparts in other European countries. I asked her before, but she did not care to discuss the matter. She might wish to do so now.
In relation to exemptions and exceptions, I hear what the Minister says. We shall come to those in the next series of amendments, so I shall not go into detail now. The Minister somewhat cold-shouldered my point that the Government need to consult more widely. She said that she will look at some kind of two-tier consultation proposal, and I am not sure that she explained what those tiers are, but if she can send a note to the Committee, we will be grateful. However, I again make the point that changes should happen now. She should have a consultation committee with which to consult when she puts the changes in place, and not in “due course”.
The Minister’s statement about prosecutors needing to make their case was welcome. We will consider what she called a trot through the relevant law. She will appreciate that I cannot get to grips with it on the spot, but we shall consider it in detail and will return to the matter as the Bill progresses. Again, on compensation, we need to revisit the issue as the implications of the clause become clearer. As I have said before, the Government filed their amendments only last week so we have not yet been able to consult with anybody who is going to be affected or to determine to what extent the amendments will alleviate the need for compensation. I shall not press the amendments to a vote, but we reserve our right to review the position in due course. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.