METAL THEFT

That this House notes the loss of life associated with recent cases of metal theft; further notes that the theft of metal continues to be a major problem in the United Kingdom; calls on the Government urgently to look at reforming the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1974 by removing the cash element between the seller and the dealer; and believes that this could be achieved by ensuring that money can only be paid for scrap metal if it is transferred by electronic funds transfer or by a cheque sent to a verifiable postal address.