Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of requiring that scrapyards check the ownership of a vehicle before processing it.

The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 requires a scrap metal dealer or motor salvage operator to verify the identity of those selling scrap metal to them, and record details of the metal purchased.

Receipt of scrap metal by the scrap metal dealer or motor salvage operator without such verification is an offence.

Guidance issued by the Home Office states that if the dealer is uncertain about the provenance of an item, for example if the person selling it cannot provide documentation confirming ownership or purchase, it is good practice for the dealer to delay payment in order to verify the provenance of the item.

There are currently no plans to amend the 2013 Act.