Live Attorney General Questions House of Commons


Live Attorney General Questions

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Welcome to BBC's Parliament live coverage of the House of Commons.

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The Leader of the House will announce the forthcoming business in

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the chamber and take questions from MPs. After that, there are two

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debates put forward by backbenchers. The first is on the UN international

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day for the elimb makes of violence against women and the second is

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about NHS England's cancer strategy. Remember to join me for a round-up

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of the day in both Houses of Parliament at 11pm tonight. But

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first we have questions to the Attorney-General's office.

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THE SPEAKER: Order. Order. Questions to the Attorney-General. Thank you

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mrrks speaker. We have the strongest legal framework in the world

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including the modern slavery Act which came into force in July of

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last year. The law office is supporting the Prime Minister's

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taskforce on modern slavery and the CPS continues to see a year-on-year

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increase in the number of prosecutions.

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THE SPEAKER: The honourable gentleman seeks to group the

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question with numbers six and eight. I make the application to group the

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questions in that order. THE SPEAKER: The honourable

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gentleman maybe learned, if not, it may only be a matter of time! Often

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these victims will not come forward because they're being controlled

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through acts of fear and violence. What more can my honourable friend

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do to support vulnerable women through the process? Well, my

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honourable friend is right to raise that issue and the CPS has been

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instrumental in developing special measures to help people with

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vulnerabilities to give evidence such as the pre-recording of

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cross-examination, ground rules hearings that are held ahead of the

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trials and evidence via remote link. All those measures help increase

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confidence that support will be there for victims.

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THE SPEAKER: I'm sure the honourable member was notified. Where is the

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honourable fella? Can he tell me more about what the Crown

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Prosecution Service is doing to prosecute this type of offence in

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the north-west of England? I note my honourable friend's interest as a

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north-west MP and I'm happy to tell her under the new modern day slavery

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offence eight charges were laid in the north-west region and eight

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offence in the mercy-Cheshire region, plus other offences under

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older legislation and last month, three people were convicted of

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modern day slavery and human trafficking in Liverpool and were

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sentenced to a total of seven years and three months imprisonment.

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Many of the prosecutions were the result of the European Arrest

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Warrant playing an important part. Would the minister ensure that with

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the Home Office, he makes sure that the European Arrest Warrant remains

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a useful tool, whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations? The

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honourable gentleman is quite right to note the huge importance of the

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European Arrest Warrant in streamlining the process. That

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together with other tools in order to encourage close co-operation are

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a vital means by which we can deal with what is an international crime.

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The modern slavery act review revealed although it is national

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Crown Prosecution Service policy that all trafficking and

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exploitation cases be referred to the complex case work unit and in

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practise the policy is not always followed. What measures are being

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put in place to reduce the number of cases that could slip through the

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cracks like this? I'm glad to say the review is forming a key part of

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the Prime Minister's taskforce. And at all levels, proper emphasis is

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placed upon the serious nature of this type of offending and let's not

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forget as well, there are other types of offence as well that

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encompass this behaviour that need to be dealt with as well. The

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complex unit is indeed having a key and increasingly important role in

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the prosecution of this type of crime.

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The Solicitor-General is responsible for the prosecution of trackers, not

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for the detection of them and nor their sentencing, but could he tell

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the House what are the main barriers to him in securing successful

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prosecutions? Well, the honourable gentleman is right to say these are

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challenging offences and I think the problem is Mr Speaker that often the

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victims of this type of crime take a while to realise that they are in

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that position. When they come forward they want a consistent

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approach from the authorities that give them support when they come to

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give evidence. That's the emphasis that the CPS and other agencies are

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playing and with that increasing support we are seeing the barriers

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being removed. THE SPEAKER: It is good to see the

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honourable gentleman back in his place. Mr Speaker, the review, the

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independent review commissioned by the Prime Minister that the

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Solicitor-General has referred to, expressed concern about the

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insufficient quality and quantity of intelligence at national, regional

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and international level which it is said hampers our operational

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response. What steps does the Solicitor-General think can be taken

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to ensure that our exit from the European Union does not further

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hamper our operational response? Well, can I firstly welcome the

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honourable gentleman back to his place at what is a challenging time

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for his family and we send him best wishes. He is right to talk about

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international working. The taskforce in the form of the NCA and the other

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agencies are placing heavy emphasis upon the need for that intelligence

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gathering to be improved. And as we know, when exit from the EU happens

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I firmly believe there will be mechanisms in place to ensure that

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that important work carries on unimpeded whether it is by way of

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mutual legal assistance or indeed some of the other mechanisms to

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which we've opted in to and which no doubt will be an important part of

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the negotiation in the months ahead. I'm grateful to the

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Solicitor-General for his kind words and good wishes to my family at this

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time. This Solicitor-General set out that our membership of the European

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Union gives us access to a European toolkit which the Director of Public

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Prosecutions referred to as vital. There is access to agencies such as

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for example euro just. Just specifically on Eurojust where we

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have one of the busiest desks, what will the Solicitor-General do to

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ensure we quickly negotiate a new relationship with Euro-just? Well,

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the honourable gentleman is right to emphasise other mechanisms. Eurojust

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can be another mechanism that's relevant. Clearly, they have to form

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a central part of any negotiation and be a priority for the

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negotiating team when it comes to those details. The CPS is well aware

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of this issue and has been raising it and the law offices will, of

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course play their part in raising these important issues too. Number

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two, Mr Speaker. THE SPEAKER: Indeed. Mr Speaker,

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we're committed to tackling hate crime in any form across forgive me,

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can I apply for this question to be grouped with questions five and

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seven. So the numbering has changed. Forgive me. As I was saying Mr

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Speaker, the cross Government hate group action group, focuses on hate

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crime and the increasing of reporting and then suring that all

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criminal justice partners deliver outcomes for victims.

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His speciality is words dash rather than numbers, dash! I was concerned

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about the spike in the number of racial and religious aggravated

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offences after the referendum. Can my honourable and learned friend

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tell the House whether the trend has continued in recent months? Well, my

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honourable friend is right to raise this issue because I think we were

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all concerned with the spike that clearly occurred after the

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referendum. The total number of racial and religiously aggravated

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offences being reported in July was 41% higher than in the previous

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year, but I'm happy to report that the number of that type of reported

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offence has now declined and are at similar levels to before the

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referendum. Would my honourable friend look

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carefully at the law relating to abusive and offensive online posts.

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Often when I look at these remarks, particularly when someone has died,

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it is quite incredible that newspapers seem to host these posts

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when I think these cowards should have their names and addresses

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printed along with the offensive posts. My honourable friend raises a

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proper point of increasing concern. Can assure him that anonymity

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perceived or real is not an escape route for perpetrators. The use of

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false online profiles and websites still means Mr Speaker, they are

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traceable and these people can and will be pursued just like the

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appalling individual who only this week was convicted of offences

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arising from a racist campaign against the honourable member for

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Liverpool. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm grateful

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for my honourable friend's answer. Can he say more specifically what

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the Government are doing to tackle hate crime against those with

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learning disabilities and autism? Well, I'm grateful to my honourable

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friend for raising an issue which has been of consistent importance to

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me since my appointment to this office. I'm glad to note there has

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been a rise of 44% in the number of prosecution for disability hate

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crime generally in the last yearment when it comes to learning disability

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and autism I'm a strong supporter of local advocacy groups which will

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often be the first port of call when a complaint is made by a person with

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an impairment. Where the police work with these groups, more people with

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a learning difficulty will come a learning difficulty will come

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forward and I want to see this good practise spread much further.

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On the ground, in North Wales, the number of prosecutions generally is

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falling and for that reason, how can we ensure the public perceptions are

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reflected in prosecuting policy so that more individuals who commit

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crime get taken to court and dealt with by the magistrates who tell me

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that their courts are empty? Well, I'm grateful to the honourable

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gentleman. I'm following the position very carefully in all parts

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of England and Wales and he's right to say that there are some areas

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like his where there hasn't been the rise that we have seen in others. I

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think what we have to do is further encourage consistency, the training

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that's been rolled out in recent months to all the CPS areas, I think

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needs to bed in and I think with that approach we will see a rise

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across-the-board in not just the prosecution of these offences, but

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the confidence of victims to come forward.

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Would the Attorney-General agree that the prosecution of hate crimes

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has helped when the victim feels supported enough to give evidence

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and more training must be provided by the teams that deal with hate

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crimes UK-wide to ensure that all possible support is afforded to

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victims and their families? The honourable gentleman knows from his

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experience in Northern Ireland, the Leonard Cheshire charity have an

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excellent scheme in place to support victims. It echos the point I was

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making earlier for the need for best practise to be spread to give better

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support. I'm sure he would agree that

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regional rates are accepted, so would he set out how the crime would

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be dealt with and it would not depend on where a person lives. He

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is right to hear to need the points that have been made. Can I reassure

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him that the training that is being provided applies to all regions of

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the CPS. It's been done on a national basis and that means that

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in whichever part of the country, there should be the same awareness

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and understanding, but the sensitivities should apply when it

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comes to disability hate crime. We need to look at the person beyond

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the disability and understand that their advice has to be heard. I

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don't think this question is cooked with any other, but I'm willing to

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be corrected. If I'm right, can I say to him that the offence of

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failing to prevent bribery under the Bribery Act has incentivised good

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governors within companies. The new offence of failing to prevent tax

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evasion is included in the criminal finance is Bill going through

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Parliament at the moment, and a call for evidence will be published

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shortly to explore the options for further reform. I am grateful for

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the answer. He has had a busy week. I am sure he is aware there is real

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concern that it has become much harder to prosecute senior directors

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of companies that have been involved in serious wrongdoings. When he gets

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into the consultation, perhaps he will see when that will be antique

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look at other regimes to see how they perform better than us. It is

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no disrespect to my colleague to see he's not the most intimidating

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tribunal I have addressed this week. He is right that we should look at

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the examples abroad as well as domestic practice to make sure we

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are doing all we can to deal with corporate criminal offending. We

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must address the issue that if it is easy or easier to prosecute those in

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charge of small companies and those in charge of large companies,

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because of the complexity of their management structures, that cannot

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be right. During the passage of the Criminal Finance Is Bill, the

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government has so far refused to extend the corporate crown beyond

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tax evasion. Does the Attorney General agree that companies should

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only be criminally liable for tax evasion. Because of the questions

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she has asked, that is why we're asking for evidence on the subject

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and then we will conduct consultation to see whether there is

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a key is to extend the sort of failure to prevent offences she is

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describing beyond bribery, when it currently exists, and tax evasion,

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where it will shortly be, when Parliament passes the Bill. I think

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that is an argument to say we should look at this, because there are

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other types of offending and it would be sensible to consider

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whether a failure to prevent an offence would be suitable to deal

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with that. Would my right honourable friend

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also agree that we should be looking out to other matters, one is the

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question is the issue of asset freezing for those involved in

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corruption and secondly, to enforce that, we must maintain the operation

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independence of the Serious Fraud Office. I think it is worth looking

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at this and I think there are many people who believe there are gaps in

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the law here. But it is also important to beat sure we take full

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account of concerns expressed about the burdens placed on businesses of

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all kinds if we get that balance wrong. But I think he's right that

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we should look at. In relation to asset freezing assets seizure, he is

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right but if we're going to successfully prosecuted and

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convicted or is engaged in criminal activity, we must also make sure we

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can recover assets when that is appropriate, so we will look at that

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in the process we are engaged in. The United Kingdom has a proud

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tradition for respect of human rights, which long predates the EU

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and which will continue following our withdrawal from it. Can the

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Attorney General tell the house what existing human rights enjoyed by UK

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citizens under EU directives could not or should not be enshrined in UK

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law, if or when we leave the EU. As I hope I made clear in my first

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answer, I don't believe human rights protection in this country are

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dependent on EU law, and we will certainly look, in the course of the

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great repeal Bill and other measures, which this house will have

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to consider, how we transfer those obligations currently under EU law

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into domestic law, where the house believes that is appropriate to do.

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I maintain the view that we will continue to protect human rights in

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this country, and more than that, we will continue to be leading

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advocates of human rights around the world. Is that the government policy

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that we will introduce a separate bill of rights for British law? I

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remain of the view that human rights law needs reform. We are in full

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agreement that we have no quarrel with the content of the European

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Convention on human rights, it is the way that document is apply that

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gives us difficulty. The government is committed to do something about

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that. You may have noticed we have a few other things are played at the

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moment and we will be to resolve those before we resolve the matter

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he refers to. What passions can the minister give, once lead to exit the

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EU and become once again an emancipated, liberated nation state

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on the stage of the worlds, that we will maintain that pride, heritage

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and tradition in the United Kingdom of defending individual rights

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within this United Kingdom? I entirely share his confidence. I

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think we will certainly do that. We always have and we always will and

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we will do it in all parts of the United Kingdom. As he knows, we will

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make sure that in the process of exiting the UK, all parts of the UK

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are engaged in that process. Does he agree with me that when referring to

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our exit from the EU, it is important to distinguish between

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that and the convention that the government policy continues to be,

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that we should remain in the European Convention and observe

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human rights as before. He is right, those things are distinct. It is our

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exit from the EU that the public have confirmed in a referendum. But

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of course, our commitment to human rights will be maintained, and it

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will be maintained not just domestically, but also abroad.

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Questions to the Minister for women and equality is. Question number

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one, Mr Speaker. The Minister for women and equality is, Justine

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Greening. Careers guidance should help all young people to get the

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inspiration and advice and guidance they need for success in working

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life. We want to see schools getting impartial guidance, but also

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high-quality guidance. That's why we're investing ?90 million over

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this Parliament to improve careers provision for young people. She is

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right, good quality career advice is essential. Neither further plans for

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the government to remove barriers from women when they progress with

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their careers, particularly when they have young children? He is

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absolutely right to highlight this. When we look in detail at the gender

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pay gap, it is often starting a family that is

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