Car Crime (Hansard, 4 December 2002)

§ Mr. Dodds
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase penalties for joy riders and car thieves. [84381]

§ Mr. Browne
The Government are committed to undertaking a comprehensive review of the law relating to road traffic penalties in Northern Ireland. This will include the offence of aggravated vehicle taking.
Preparatory work is under way on a consultation paper in anticipation of this review. I hope to be in a position to issue this document to a wide range of interested parties early in the coming new year.
Any decision on the future of these penalties must be made on the basis of the recommendations of the review.

§ Mr. Dodds
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for a review of penalties available to courts dealing with the perpetrators of car thefts and joy riding in Northern Ireland. [83113]

§ Mr. Browne
The Government are committed to undertaking a comprehensive review of the law relating to road traffic penalties in Northern Ireland. This will include the offence of aggravated vehicle taking.
Preparatory work is under way on a consultation paper in anticipation of this review. I hope to be in a position to issue this document to a wide range of interested parties early in the coming new year.