Clause 39
Policing and Crime Bill
11:30 am
Vernon Coaker (Minister of State (Policing, Crime & Security), Home Office; Gedling, Labour)
That is correct—I hope that reassures the hon. Gentleman. He has explained a fundamental point well.
Amendments 270, 272, 279, 281, 283, 287 and 289 add to the new provisions in the Proceeds of Crime Act. They simply amend the provisions on distributing sums received in consequence of payment of a confiscation order. Notably, they provide that where a court has determined the reasonable costs that the police or another law enforcement agency has incurred, those costs are paid from the recovered amount. They also provide for the court, whether a Crown court or magistrates court, to make directions on any payment. That means that any third party interests in the property can also be paid back.
Amendments 271, 280 and 288 are merely technical amendments. The changes to POCA that those amendments remove will be made in schedule 6 to the Bill. Nothing is changing. It is just tidier to make all the consequential amendments that flow from the changes to POCA in one place.
I hope that, having given the assurances that I did to the hon. Member for Hornchurch, he sees the sense in the amendments that we have proposed.