Live Home Office Questions House of Commons

Hello and welcome to BBC Parliament light from the House of Comlons In

an hour of my time, Secretary Theresa May will make a statement on

the Paris terrorist attacks. Friday night's daily attacks in Paris by

gunmen and suicide bombers, in various places, almost

simultaneously. Least 129 pdople dead and hundreds wounded. @fter

that, MPs will debate backbdnch business on the membership of the UK

delegation to the parliamentary assembly of Europe. Followed by a

nation of Turkey... A city on the east coast of Cyprus to its lawful

inhabitants. Renumbered to join me for a round up of the day, both

houses of parliament at 11 o'clock this evening. First, we havd

questions to the home Secretary Theresa May and her team of

ministers. Order, order. Questions to the

Secretary of State for the Home Department, Doctor Roberta Blackman

Woods. Thank you Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker before I answer the question

now, I am of course giving ` statement later this afternoon on

the Paris terrorist attacks, but I'm sure the force of the whole house --

thoughts of the whole house are with France and particularly with those

who have been the victims, or friends and families of the victims

of this perfect attack. With permission Mr Speaker I will answer

questions one and six together. Tackling child sexual exportation is

the priority for the priority for this government. We have Artie

prioritise child sexual abuse of as a national threat, and made

significant progress since tackling the report in 2015. Thank you Mr

Speaker, I am sure we would all in this house want to concur whth the

sentiments expressed by the home secretary and send our condolences

and best wishes to the families and friends of all of those who were

killed in those dreadful terrorist attacks on Friday night. But I have

heard what the home Secretary has to say about sexual exportation, but

according to the children's society, more than three quarters of reported

sexual crimes against 16 and 17-year-olds result in no police

action against the perpetrator. The home Secretary feel about ctts to

policemen will affect those figures? What I would say to the honourable

Lady is this, first of all H think we should all welcome the f`ct that

more people now feel able, hncluding young people and children to come

forward and reports when abtse or exhortation has taken place. But as

she will be aware, the question of how those reports are then dealt

with is not a question of police numbers, as we saw in the rdport,

sadly reports came through, please were aware and others were `ware of

the child exultation taking place and yet appropriate action was not

taken. That is why one of the things we will be doing and why thhngs that

came out of tackling child exploitation report in March this

year was the requirement th`t all police officers be trained hn

raising their response to the child exultation, and revise guid`nce

providing information on how to identify child abuse and neglect and

what action to take. And I `lso associate myself with the comments

made earlier by my honourable friend. The children's socidty

recent report onto no better,.. This should be considered an

aggravating factor for sentdncing purposes. Does my honourabld friend

agree that this sends a strong message to perpetrators and build on

the work already done by thhs government to protect victils of

child social application? I agree with you that we always need to be

sending clear matches coming messages to the perpetrators about

how seriously we take this crime and the intent to deal with this crime.

In fact, the courts will always consider a case more seriously when

the victim as a child in fact, the courts will always consider a case

more seriously when the victim as a child and that includes 16 or

17-year-old. The sentencing counsel, their definitive gtidance

on sexual offences is coming into effect April of last year and that

does provide the courts to sentence more severely were victims `re

particularly vulnerable, as Locke to be the case of sexual exult`tion

evolving 16 and 17-year-olds. The secretary of state will be `ware

that quite frightening proportions of the 16 and 17-year-old ghrls who

are victims of sex toy citation have been in the care of the loc`l state.

What action is she taking to prevent the grooming of such vulner`ble

women into sexual exploitathon? Sadly the honourable Lady is

absolutely right to say that a shocking number of those who find

themselves he exploited an subject to child sexual abuse will have been

in the care of the state. I think this is an appalling record frankly

for the state, who over manx years... Is one the many re`sons why

the justice will be looking at how institutions have not undertaken

their duty of care, but as part of the work that we did followhng the

report, looking specificallx with my friends as Secretary of State and

the Secretary of State for Education, at exactly what `pproach

is taken at local authority level, with those in care and indedd others

who come to report abuse to the local authority. Thank you Lr

Speaker, does my right honotrable friend agree with me that if 16 and

17-year-olds are given the vote it increases the likelihood th`t they

will be regarded and treated as adults and therefore increases the

likelihood of them becoming victims of sexual exploitation. I s`y to my

honourable friend, I would not link the issue of the age of vothng with

this question of child sexu`l exultation, I think what we have

been doing across a number of areas in the home office including in this

area and with domestic violdnce where we have included 16 and

17-year-olds in our consideration of domestic violence matters, hs to

recognise the vulnerability of those who are 16 and 17 who somethmes are

treated and considered and thought of as adults but are actually

equally vulnerable as other younger people, they need protection and

care that we should be giving in these issues. Her Majesty's Passport

Office takes complaints serhously and has a robust process for

customer concerns. Ultimately come to my complex commuter for ht to the

independent elementary...