Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Trading Standards and police enforcement bodies on the seizure of counterfeit luxury goods.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has not engaged directly with National Trading Standards or Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) on the specific question of luxury goods. However, PIPCU and Trading Standards routinely work in tandem to disrupt counterfeiting activity. This includes plans to specifically target counterfeited goods on our high streets.

The Government is reducing the sale of counterfeit fashion goods by supporting Police, Trading Standards and Border Force to take targeted enforcement action, disrupt online sales, seize counterfeit goods and use Proceeds of Crime Act powers to recover criminal profits, ensuring counterfeiting does not pay.

Between 2021-2023 Border Force have seized counterfeit articles with a retail value exceeding half a billion pounds.