The Bill, which has completed all its parliamentary stages, proposes a whole-scale reform of the £5.6bn scrap metal industry, which is the principal outlet for stolen metal.
Roger said that it was particularly fitting that this Bill will make it onto the statute books in the year that marks the 100th anniversary of World War One following a spate of metal theft attacks on war memorials. “This is not just petty theft” he said “It constitutes a major and well organized attack on our cultural heritage and the safety and maintenance of vast areas of our infrastructure. The criminals involved in this crime have no compunction about stripping away the wiring from any command and control systems which are vulnerable - with potentially devastating consequences for the safety of members of the public.”
The Bill will implement a rigorous licensing scheme that ensures every sale of scrap metal is accounted for, and that all people trading in scrap are doing so legitimately. Its key features include punitive, unlimited fines for the most serious breaches of the Act, cashless trading for all scrap metal dealers including mobile collectors to ensure maximum transparency, and the power for police to close rogue traders.

Roger believes that it is an important piece of legislation particularly for Churches who have suffered particularly badly from metal theft. It also won the backing of leading organisations and charities including the Royal British Legion, War Memorials Trust, the Church of England, Network Rail, BT, the Energy Networks Association, the Institute of Directors, the Federation of Small Businesses, Arts Council England, Tate Galleries, the Henry Moore Foundation, the Local Government Association and the British Transport Police.
Roger has added his name to the Climate Week Declaration urging the UK government to do more to prevent climate change.
Many leading people and organisations have already signed – including Lord Nick Stern, the Aldersgate Group, the TUC and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Right now, the government is finalising a new law – the Energy Bill – that will decide the future of Britain’s energy supply.
The Declaration calls on the government to put environmental targets into the Energy Bill. These would help to decarbonise our energy supply and give us cleaner, greener energy.

This article appeared in the March edition of Roger's newsletter 'Postcard from Parliament'