Extracts from Committee stage (Lords) (day 1) of the Offensive Weapons Bill - Jan 28
Tuesday, 29 January 2019 07:43
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams of Trafford)
(Con):...Going back to sellers, it is important that they take
responsibility in this area and it is right that they have to prove
what checks they have made rather than placing the burden on the
prosecution. That is what happens in relation to other age-related
sales, such as knives, alcohol and tobacco, and the approach
is well understood by retailers, trading standards and the
police... ...I am grateful to my noble...Request free trial
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams of
Trafford) (Con):...Going back to sellers, it is important
that they take responsibility in this area and it is right that
they have to prove what checks they have made rather than placing
the burden on the prosecution. That is what happens in relation to
other age-related sales, such as knives, alcohol and tobacco, and the approach is well understood by
retailers, trading standards and the police...
...I am grateful to my noble friend for explaining these
amendments, which deal with the evidence required to satisfy the
defence if a seller is charged with selling or delivering a
corrosive product to someone who is under the age of 18. As regards
Amendment 3 to Clause 1, I understand my noble friend’s intention
but I am doubtful that it is necessary or appropriate to require
the police to certify a seller’s processes as adequate. There are
already well-established and widely recognised age-restricted
policies in place for retailers and sellers through Challenge 21
and Challenge 25. These policies are used day in and day out by
retailers to deal with situations where an individual may appear to
be under 18, particularly in relation to the sale of alcohol
or tobacco. I have concerns about the value
of asking the police to certify a seller’s processes and about the
burden this would place on police forces. I am also concerned about
whether this approach would undermine these established policies.
Arguably this amendment would necessitate the police certifying the
specific age-restriction policies of every individual seller of a
corrosive product, whether a high-street store or an online
marketplace. This not a valuable use of police time when we want
them to be focused on preventing and tackling violence in our
communities....
...To answer the point from the noble Earl, Lord Erroll,
about age-restricted products, I have already mentioned knives,
alcohol and tobacco, but lottery tickets are
age-restricted as well, of course. Retailers are very used to
operating in these systems, without a specific approved system in
place....
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