Clause 34 - Sale etc. of knives and other weapons

Part of Violent Crime Reduction Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:30 pm on 25 October 2005.

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Photo of Humfrey Malins Humfrey Malins Shadow Minister, (Assisted By Shadow Law Officers) 6:30, 25 October 2005

I just want to express publicly my disappointment with the Minister’s reply. There was nothing in what she said in response to my speech on knives, which reflected the real concern of many members of the public about the vast increase in knife crime. Nor was there a message from her to the judges to deal with the crime more harshly. I found her response a little self-satisfied, and I am very sorry to have heard it.

As for the Minister’s attempts to draw a distinction between me and my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon, she rightly points out that I was not in Committee at the appropriate stage, although that was not through any lack of courtesy on my part. I understand that my hon. Friend outlined his arguments with great skill. The purpose of my amendment was to draw the Government’s attention to the disgraceful situation with regard to knives, and to send a message to the Government that it is time that they recognised it, rather than sat back and felt complacent about it.