Immobilisation of Vehicles
Home Department
Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to section 30 of the Coalition Agreement, what recent progress she has made in tackling rogue private sector wheel clampers.
Lynne Featherstone (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Equalities Office; Hornsey and Wood Green, Liberal Democrat)
Clause 54 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill will make it an offence to immobilise, move or restrict the movement of a vehicle without lawful authority. In effect, this will ban most clamping and towing by anyone other than the police, local authorities, bailiffs and other Government agencies. Subject to parliamentary approval, this legislation is expected to be enacted by May 2012. Our aim is to bring the ban on wheel clamping into force as soon as possible following Royal Assent.