Members may remove their jackets, if they so wish. I appreciate serving under your chairmanship, Mr. Olner, and I welcome the Committee to discuss this important Act. The amendment is designed to strengthen protection against counterfeiting of all currencies. As I am sure that the Committee will acknowledge, counterfeiting is a serious criminal offence, which can, in the most extreme circumstances, threaten the stability of the state. Modern developments in technology mean that such crimes increasingly take place across national borders.
International crime demands an international response from law enforcement agencies.
The United Kingdom counterfeiting legislation is already adequate to deal with counterfeiting offences in almost every case. However, the amendment will enable us to prosecute counterfeiting offences that have a territorial link with the UK, even when they do not take place entirely within England and Wales. Taking prompt action now shows that the UK is determined to combat counterfeiting in co-operation with our European partners. We believe in working with our European partners on this and other law enforcement matters. For those reasons, I commend the order to the Committee.