Live Attorney General Questions House of Commons


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Join me for the round-up of the day at 11pm tonight. First, we have

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questions to the Attorney General. Order. Questions to the Attorney

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General. Number one. I will answer this with 13. There are a number of

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factors at various stages that are likely to impact on conviction rates

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for rape, but the CPS is committed to improving this conviction rate by

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working closely with partners and police force areas. Order to provide

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the consistency of approach necessary, networks of violence

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against women and girls coordinators have been established. CPS National

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guidance says improvements have been made by the appointment of rape

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specialist prosecutors. But the success of this is dependent on the

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evidence being referred to raise lawyers in the first place. One of

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my constituents was raped, and she found this out to her distress. Can

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he comment on the week between the number of... I listened to the case

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that she mentioned with some concern. In her area, the unit has

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generated an improvement in conviction rate in the North West,

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by 10% in the last year. But she is right to talk about the earlier

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stages, particularly the coordination, which is all about the

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investigative help that should make the experience for victims better,

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because experience shows that attrition rates are too high. So why

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does the Attorney General think that some of the lowest rates, 38.5%,

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with the highest that 80%, via years that difference? What specific thing

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does he think the CPS can do? -- why does he think there is that

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difference? I am glad to see a strong commitment to a greater

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national approach to this, which is why the setting up of RASO units is

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vital. The CPS have recruited many officers, and I believe this will

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drive up conviction rates. In Northern Ireland there were only 20

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-- over 28,000 incidents, 737 cases of rape. Conviction rates are too

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low, and many victims of domestic violence do not get reported. I am

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happy to say that in England and where the overall numbers and

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volumes of cases being brought, not just rape but also associated

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violence and sexual abuse in a domestic setting continue to rise,

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which means justice for thousands more of it is every year. What steps

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has he taken to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service discuss

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with the police the kind of evidence that needs to be on the file sent to

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them, to secure a conviction? And has he also reviewed with the Home

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Office does police forces who were accused of putting too many rape

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cases in the no crime category without investigations? It is an

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operational matter for the police, but the general principles and the

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policy issues raised are very important. This is why the Attorney

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General and I take a great interest in the important work of the RASO

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units, the specialist prosecutors who work at an early stage with the

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police to identify the sort of evidence needed to secure those

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convictions. So she is right to raise that point. Over the past 18

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months, the Serious Fraud Office has secured the first contested

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conviction for rape rigging, and its first prosecution agreement.

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SFA -- SFO opened only three cases despite all the reports to them. Why

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is what they do so much less than the government's rhetoric? He will

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appreciate that there is more than one body in the system that

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prosecutes fraud, and the Serious Fraud Office deals with only the

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most complex and difficult cases, so it is not surprising that of all of

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the cases reported, only a small proportion is dealt with by the

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Serious Fraud Office, but they are set up to deal with most difficult

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and complex cases. Is it not important not only that the Serious

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Fraud Office but other government agencies all have access to

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communications data in order to ensure convictions? I think he is

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entirely right. Communication data is important in the prosecution of

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all types of offending. For example the majority of prosecutions

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regarding terrorism. The investigatory Powers Bill before the

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House is so important. Is the Attorney General conscious that

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there is a deep problem. The Serious Fraud Office is underfunded and

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under resourced and cannot attract the greatest talent for these

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complex cases. Is he aware that in terms of the Icelandic banks

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disaster is still there, the money from British taxpayers should be

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retrieved. And they do not have the expertise in-house. Will he look at

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Grant Thornton in that respect I cannot comment on specific cases and

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he will understand that it is the director of the Serious Fraud

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Office's responsibility to decide whether to open prosecutions.

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Regarding funding, the core funding for the Serious Fraud Office has

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increased, not decreased, and the Serious Fraud Office also has access

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to Blockbuster funding to enable it to take on large and substantial

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cases when the need arises. Birdie to retain the core capability

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throughout that period, there would be -- they would be sometimes not

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using it to its full extent. I think that is an appropriate way to

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proceed, and we will always make sure that the Serious Fraud Office

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has the funding it needs to prosecute cases it should. I

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listened carefully to that response because this week's report from the

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Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the government's

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arrangements found the funding model does not represent value for money

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and also founded his incompatible with long-term strategy, for those

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future investigations and prosecutions. So will he look at

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alternative funding models to ensure that the SFO is on a sustainable

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footing and not subject to the Treasury veto? She will recognise

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that this report from the Chief Inspector, which I asked him to

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produce to look at the way the Serious Fraud Office is governed,

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was a very balanced report, putting forward some positive points about

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the way in which the Serious Fraud Office has improved under the

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direction of the current director. But she is right. Questions were

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asked about the funding model and there is a balanced to be struck

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here, as I have indicated. We have to make sure the Serious Fraud

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Office has the money it needs, and the direct will never refuse to

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proceed in a case for a lack of funding, so there is no veto, as she

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suggests. But we have to balance the need for that money with the need

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not to have capacity which is not being used and being paid for by the

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taxpayer. So the Blockbuster funding model has been considered to strike

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the balance correctly, but I will look carefully at what the Chief

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Inspector Kay says, and decide whether changes appropriate. I will

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answer this with questions five, six, seven and 11. As pro bono

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champions of the government, the Attorney General and I continue to

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support a number of projects throughout coordinating committees

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that we believe crime for is how important pro bono education is,

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internationally as well as domestic. Forgive me regarding the numbering,

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it is sometimes difficult to follow when there are number of questions

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on the same matter. Forgiveness is given! The action of certain lawyers

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bring the profession to disrepute, but thousands of people across the

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country achieve justice through pro bono work. Will he agree with me

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that those lawyers that give their time free of charge are helping

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justice in this country? In the last financial year, ?601 million worth

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of work was provided pro bono by lawyers in private practice. The

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solicitors are recognising that their time makes a difference to

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people who would be denied access to justice otherwise.

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They play an important role within our society and often operate under

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immense financial pressure. What is my honourable friend doing to

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encourage law firms to provide pro bono services to the small charity

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to cut running costs and focus resources on making a difference

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within communities? I think the lady raises an interesting point. It's

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right to pay tribute to the existing pro bono commitment by the legal

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profession is alongside the voluntary sector in terms of

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trustees support and other advice that is given to a range of local

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charities both in her constituency, my constituency and many other

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communities the length of this country. Can the Minister update the

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house as to whether he believes the public legal understanding has

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caught up with the legal changes surrounding sexting and revenge

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pornography? I think there is no valuable role to be played in the

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form of public legal education -- invaluable role. I have seen in

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schools how the support of lawyers can run sessions and social media

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and law. It is of extreme sensitivity and importance to young

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people in particular and I believe that with the running of appropriate

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courses young people can be taught about the consequences of these

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criminal acts. The legal profession may have its the tractors but one of

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its finest traditions is that lawyers are encouraged to undertake

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pro bono work but what more can be done to take this pro bono work into

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schools both in Dorset and across the country? I'm grateful to my

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friend who is a barrister of some distinction in the South West speaks

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with experience about his work and indeed the role of pro bono in the

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profession that he and I are part of. I would urge him to liaise with

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local law firms that he will know well in his constituency in order to

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spread the work through schools and colleges throughout his part Dorset

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and in the wider area. I'm sure the gentlemen will put that tribute on

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his website! In a matter of minutes! I thank the Attorney General for his

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replies on this topic. I would ask how the government can further help

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the efforts of charities such as law works, a pro bono legal advice

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service supported by the Law Society which targets the most needy and has

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offices across the UK. I'm grateful to my friend and he's right to raise

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law works. It's been an active member of the coordinating committee

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of pro bono for several years since October of 2014 the Ministry of

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Justice has provided funding the litigant person support strategy

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which is designed to help organisations in the third sector to

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deliver increased support to litigants in person and I'm sure

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that he will put that on his website. I've done if fair bit of

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pro bono legal work as well. It is often a supper jute where there is

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inadequate access to legal aid. It was greatly cart and the last

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government. Will this government look at the possibility of taking

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interest and client account and using that for legal aid? That is

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each solicitor in private practice having a client account in which a

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client 's money is kept separately, that and interests, such interest in

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some jurisdictions is used to fund legal aid. This common should look

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about for England. I appreciate the constructive part of the gentleman

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's question. It is an idea that I think should be looked at by my

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colleagues in the Ministry of Justice. However I am cautious about

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compulsion because one of the great things about pro bono is that it is

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a voluntary thing but I will say this to him, it's all very well for

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the honourable gentleman to criticises government for cuts to

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legal aid but he'll remember being a member of Parliament at the time of

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the so-called axis to Justice act when a Labour government destroyed

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civil legal aid so I won't take lectures from the party opposite. I

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have always been a supporter of pro bono work when I was a barrister

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before entered this house and since but would the general approved agree

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with me that on the basis of his last and so will he said that Bruno

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won't work is voluntary, that is provides CYA could never be used as

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a policy solution to sort out the government cuts to legal aid. As Lee

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and wouldn't when well knows, by the attorney and I and the governments

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do not advocate it is a supper jute. It is an adjunct to legal aid and

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always should be. Nobody is going to deny the work of pro bono and

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welcome it, but it is no supper jute for access to justice. There will be

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no -- so we know which areas get the justice, will the Minister publish

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only hours pro bono are available in each geographical area so we know

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whether we do have access to justice? I think with respect to

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everybody who works in the pro bono area I do not want to be attracted

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from the important work of pro bono by trying to pretend that somehow it

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isn't legal aid service, it is not, it is voluntary, it is a vital part

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of what it is to be a lawyer and not only does it provide a benefit for

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those who it serves it also is an important part of the redevelopment

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of lawyers themselves. This party is committed to funding our legal

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services, with spending just short of ?2 billion a year on legal aid

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and I'm sorry, it sits very ill for the party opposite to lecture is

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about the amount we spend on legal aid when it merrily cut it when in

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office. I declare an interest in that my wife is a part-time tribunal

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judge and legal aid lawyer. We'll praise the work of lawyers who give

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up their time to advice and assist and law centres and citizens advice

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bureau but does the Minister agree that these individuals and

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organisations cannot possibly fill the gap left by class sport? In

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April 2010, more than 470,000 people received assistance for social

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welfare matters, just 12 months after last port that number was on

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the 53,000, a drop of 19%. Will the Minister please urge the Justice

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Secretary to bring forward the promised review of last port? I hear

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what the honourable gentleman says and I will say to him again that I

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think that whilst it is absolutely right thrust to celebrate the work

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of barristers, solicitors and legal executives in providing pro bono and

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public legal education, this country still enjoys one of the most

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generous and widespread legal aid systems in the world. It is

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something that we should be proud about and something we should

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celebrate and it is not... It is wrong that the party opposite seek

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to take the moral high ground when I watched them cut the legal aid

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system when they had 13 years in power. Number five. There are a

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number of factors that are likely to impact upon the variation of

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conviction rates for disability hate crimes. I'm actively considering

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them and I believe that the best practice in order to provide

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consistency of approach is the network of hate crime coordinators

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that the CPS has established which includes the important issue of

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disability hate crime. I thank the Attorney General. There were 62,000

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estimated disability hate crimes in 2013. Only 574 resulted in

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prosecutions. As he said, there was huge regional variation in the

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prosecution rate so is he concerned as I am about this uncanny be a bit

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more specific about how he is actually going to address this so

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disability hate crime doesn't depend on where you live? I'm grateful to

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the honourable lady and she will know that I've had a long-standing

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interest in this issue and I travelled to her region some months

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ago and met with local advocacy groups waste Preston who deal with

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third-party reporting because a lot of people with disabilities do not

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have the confidence to go straight to the police and I believe it

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through third-party reporting mechanisms that we can bridge that

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gap between a 62,000 cases she mentioned and the small number of

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prosecutions. We got to improve that rate. These are terrible crimes but

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one of the problems is the inconsistencies in different police

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areas. Does he agree with me that this is an important role for the

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College policing to make sure standards are consistent throughout

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the country? I am grateful. He is correct in his assumption. There was

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an invaluable roundtable at the national college of policing in

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September which I attended and spoke out involving regional leaders from

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all parts of the country precisely designed to deal with the issue of

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hate crime and in particular disability hate crime. I think that

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by sharing best practice such as the third-party reporting mechanisms I

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mentioned we can improve and raises rates not just in relation to hate

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crime but all crime committed against people with disabilities.

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Nine. As the house would expect, I meet very readily with the advocate

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general for Scotland and the conversations I have with him cover

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a wide range of topics. Human rights are not confirmed by the new

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Scotland act because they are already devolved. This is because

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they are not listed within schedule five of the Scotland act 1998. Does

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the Attorney General accept the changing Scotland's framework of

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human rights will require a legislative consent motion from this

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cottage Parliament? I'm always amazed at the ingenuity of the

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Scottish Nationalist party to have the same question inside a different

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ways every time we meet. As she knows because she's heard the answer

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before, the Human Rights Act is not a devolved matter, the Human Rights

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Act is a reserved matter and that is a matter which the whole United

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Kingdom Parliament will consider when we bring forward proposals for

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change. Ingenuity is a valuable parliamentary commodity. I'm

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genuinely mystified at our apparent ingenuity when clearly human rights

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are not listed within schedule five, it is the exhaustive list of

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reservations, it is not in there! What are the legal basis for this

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assertion? Human rights are devolved to Scotland? I'm not sure how meet

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on the end of the same and away with it but the position is as set it

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out. The position is as I've set it out. The Human Rights Act is a

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matter for the UK Parliament and I entirely understand the frustration

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of the SNP that they have to sit in the United Kingdom Parliament but

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I'm afraid that was the decision of the Scottish people and they will

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have to live with it. Questions to the Minister for women and equality

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is. Number one. There are 306 to 5000 more disabled people in work

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than two years ago. Our ambition to halve the disability employment gap

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is a key priority for the government. People currently in the

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work-related activity group will not see their payments reduced, however

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all new claimants from April 2017 well and that includes many people

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who have learning disabilities and need the same support as people...

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Will further cuts in the incomes of the table people helped to work?

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Those that would be in the support group will see no changes at all. On

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the specific area of those with learning disabilities, we set up a

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task force jointly with

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