§ 25. Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the current legislation affecting the purchase by the public of knives; and if he will make a statement. [6173]
§ Mr. MacleanThe sale of flick-knives and gravity knives is prohibited under the Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959, as amended. My right hon. and learned Friend can prohibit the sale of other weapons by specifying them in an order under section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Fourteen bladed and other articles have been prohibited in this way. My right hon. and learned Friend will consider adding further articles where they can be defined in a way which distinguishes them from articles which have legitimate purposes. There were 62 convictions for offences under these two pieces of legislation between 1985 and 1995. We have also proposed the introduction of a new offence of marketing a knife in a way which suggests a violent use for it.