On Wednesday 11 December 2024 Margaret Mullane MP lent her backing to a 10 Minute Rule Bill titled “Theft of Tools of Trade (Sentencing) Bill”. The Bill was tabled by Amanda Martin MP, Labour Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North, and seeks to ensure that financial losses, including lost income, are taken into account when deciding sentencing for the theft of work tools.
Ten Minute Rule Bills are a type of Private Members' Bill that are introduced in the House of Commons under Standing Order No 23. The ten minute rule allows a backbench MP to make the case for a new Bill in a speech lasting up to ten minutes.
Margaret Mullane MP for Dagenham and Rainham said: “My constituency is home to lots of London’s trades people and I know how devastating it is when vans and sheds are broken into and people essentially lose their livelihoods. This is a growing trend and a growing concern for the police. I fully support the Bill which essentially proposes stricter sentencing for those who steal trade tools. Creating a greater deterrent will make tool theft less attractive to would-be criminals.”
The Bill was broadly accepted by the House and will now progress to the First Reading stage in Parliament on 25 April.
Margaret added: “I welcomed the Bill proposal and thank Amanda Martin MP for bringing such an important matter to the House. As this Bill progresses through Parliament I will continue to support it and speak where possible sharing the experiences of trades people in Dagenham and Rainham.”
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