§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he is considering to tackle the problem of mobile telephone fraud. [29664]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorI have decided to set up a study group of senior representatives from the industry, the Federation of Communication Services, officials from the DTI and Home Office and representatives from the law enforcement agencies as necessary, to consider how the Government can underpin the continuing work of the industry in fighting the escalating problem of mobile phone crime. The group will report back to me in September and will examine the technological aspects of the problem, how these are changing as the industry develops and in particular the increased use of scanners in the cloning of mobile phones and the theft of airtime.
The Government intend to ensure that these problems are tackled on all available fronts. The study group will draw together the useful work that has already been done by the industry to pursue technological solutions and to improve industry control systems, and will consider in particular if there are any further steps which the Government can take in support of the industry.