One step closer

9:44am Thursday 30th November 2006

MPs including a former Government minister have begun signing a motion backing The Press's Change It! campaign to protect children from kidnappers.

Former Roads Minister Peter Bottomley is one of five MPs from across Britain to throw their immediate support behind the Early Day Motion tabled by York MP Hugh Bayley.

The motion calls for a loophole in the law to be closed, so that judges will have the power to place child abductors and would-be abductors on the sex offenders' register.

Three MPs from North and East Yorkshire; Ryedale's John Greenway, Selby's John Grogan and East Yorkshire's Greg Knight, have already pledged to sign the motion.

Mr Bottomley's backing came as the Home Office, which is expected to go ahead with changing the law, revealed today that it had recently finalised draft legislation.

A spokesman said it was now waiting for Parliamentary counsel to approve the draft, after which it would go to a Minister for his approval before an order is laid before both Houses of Parliament.

Prime Minister Tony Blair told The Press in September that he expected an announcement to be made in the autumn, but by the end of November, this still has not happened.

Mr Bayley said the Home Office had "slipped behind its schedule to lay an order in the autumn."

He said he hoped the motion would increase pressure on the Government to prioritise the change and press ahead with the legislation before Christmas.

The Home Office spokesman said he did not know when the draft order would come back from the Parliamentary counsel, whhich was always involved in the drafting of all legislation, but he hoped it would be ready shortly.

Our Change It! campaign was launched after a man called Terry Delaney tried to abduct Strensall teenager Natalie Hick from a bus stop.

A judge jailed Delaney for four years earlier this year, but was unable to place him on the sex offenders' register, which would have ensured he could be properly monitored on his release.

How Hugh Bayley's Early Day Motion reads

THE Early Day Motion tabled by Mr Bayley reads: "That this House notes that child abduction is not an offence for which a judge may place a person on the sex offenders' register; recognises that some offences of child abduction do not have a sexual motive, but believes that judges should have the power to make sexual offences prevention orders to register and control the behaviour of offenders in cases where they believe the offender had a sexual motive and poses a continuing risk to children; and therefore calls on the Government to change the law to make child abduction and attempted child abduction offences which can lead to registration as a sex offender."

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