:00:00. > :00:00.Join me for the round-up of the day at 11pm tonight. First, we have
:00:00. > :00:18.questions to the Attorney General. Order. Questions to the Attorney
:00:19. > :00:26.General. Number one. I will answer this with 13. There are a number of
:00:27. > :00:31.factors at various stages that are likely to impact on conviction rates
:00:32. > :00:34.for rape, but the CPS is committed to improving this conviction rate by
:00:35. > :00:39.working closely with partners and police force areas. Order to provide
:00:40. > :00:48.the consistency of approach necessary, networks of violence
:00:49. > :00:51.against women and girls coordinators have been established. CPS National
:00:52. > :00:55.guidance says improvements have been made by the appointment of rape
:00:56. > :00:59.specialist prosecutors. But the success of this is dependent on the
:01:00. > :01:07.evidence being referred to raise lawyers in the first place. One of
:01:08. > :01:21.my constituents was raped, and she found this out to her distress. Can
:01:22. > :01:27.he comment on the week between the number of... I listened to the case
:01:28. > :01:37.that she mentioned with some concern. In her area, the unit has
:01:38. > :01:42.generated an improvement in conviction rate in the North West,
:01:43. > :01:46.by 10% in the last year. But she is right to talk about the earlier
:01:47. > :01:49.stages, particularly the coordination, which is all about the
:01:50. > :01:54.investigative help that should make the experience for victims better,
:01:55. > :02:01.because experience shows that attrition rates are too high. So why
:02:02. > :02:08.does the Attorney General think that some of the lowest rates, 38.5%,
:02:09. > :02:17.with the highest that 80%, via years that difference? What specific thing
:02:18. > :02:22.does he think the CPS can do? -- why does he think there is that
:02:23. > :02:27.difference? I am glad to see a strong commitment to a greater
:02:28. > :02:39.national approach to this, which is why the setting up of RASO units is
:02:40. > :02:43.vital. The CPS have recruited many officers, and I believe this will
:02:44. > :02:52.drive up conviction rates. In Northern Ireland there were only 20
:02:53. > :03:01.-- over 28,000 incidents, 737 cases of rape. Conviction rates are too
:03:02. > :03:15.low, and many victims of domestic violence do not get reported. I am
:03:16. > :03:18.happy to say that in England and where the overall numbers and
:03:19. > :03:23.volumes of cases being brought, not just rape but also associated
:03:24. > :03:28.violence and sexual abuse in a domestic setting continue to rise,
:03:29. > :03:37.which means justice for thousands more of it is every year. What steps
:03:38. > :03:42.has he taken to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service discuss
:03:43. > :03:47.with the police the kind of evidence that needs to be on the file sent to
:03:48. > :03:53.them, to secure a conviction? And has he also reviewed with the Home
:03:54. > :04:00.Office does police forces who were accused of putting too many rape
:04:01. > :04:07.cases in the no crime category without investigations? It is an
:04:08. > :04:11.operational matter for the police, but the general principles and the
:04:12. > :04:15.policy issues raised are very important. This is why the Attorney
:04:16. > :04:19.General and I take a great interest in the important work of the RASO
:04:20. > :04:24.units, the specialist prosecutors who work at an early stage with the
:04:25. > :04:26.police to identify the sort of evidence needed to secure those
:04:27. > :04:36.convictions. So she is right to raise that point. Over the past 18
:04:37. > :04:47.months, the Serious Fraud Office has secured the first contested
:04:48. > :05:00.conviction for rape rigging, and its first prosecution agreement.
:05:01. > :05:09.SFA -- SFO opened only three cases despite all the reports to them. Why
:05:10. > :05:14.is what they do so much less than the government's rhetoric? He will
:05:15. > :05:18.appreciate that there is more than one body in the system that
:05:19. > :05:21.prosecutes fraud, and the Serious Fraud Office deals with only the
:05:22. > :05:30.most complex and difficult cases, so it is not surprising that of all of
:05:31. > :05:32.the cases reported, only a small proportion is dealt with by the
:05:33. > :05:39.Serious Fraud Office, but they are set up to deal with most difficult
:05:40. > :05:45.and complex cases. Is it not important not only that the Serious
:05:46. > :05:51.Fraud Office but other government agencies all have access to
:05:52. > :05:59.communications data in order to ensure convictions? I think he is
:06:00. > :06:03.entirely right. Communication data is important in the prosecution of
:06:04. > :06:14.all types of offending. For example the majority of prosecutions
:06:15. > :06:21.regarding terrorism. The investigatory Powers Bill before the
:06:22. > :06:24.House is so important. Is the Attorney General conscious that
:06:25. > :06:30.there is a deep problem. The Serious Fraud Office is underfunded and
:06:31. > :06:34.under resourced and cannot attract the greatest talent for these
:06:35. > :06:45.complex cases. Is he aware that in terms of the Icelandic banks
:06:46. > :06:53.disaster is still there, the money from British taxpayers should be
:06:54. > :07:02.retrieved. And they do not have the expertise in-house. Will he look at
:07:03. > :07:05.Grant Thornton in that respect I cannot comment on specific cases and
:07:06. > :07:10.he will understand that it is the director of the Serious Fraud
:07:11. > :07:16.Office's responsibility to decide whether to open prosecutions.
:07:17. > :07:19.Regarding funding, the core funding for the Serious Fraud Office has
:07:20. > :07:23.increased, not decreased, and the Serious Fraud Office also has access
:07:24. > :07:31.to Blockbuster funding to enable it to take on large and substantial
:07:32. > :07:35.cases when the need arises. Birdie to retain the core capability
:07:36. > :07:41.throughout that period, there would be -- they would be sometimes not
:07:42. > :07:45.using it to its full extent. I think that is an appropriate way to
:07:46. > :07:47.proceed, and we will always make sure that the Serious Fraud Office
:07:48. > :07:57.has the funding it needs to prosecute cases it should. I
:07:58. > :08:00.listened carefully to that response because this week's report from the
:08:01. > :08:05.Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate into the government's
:08:06. > :08:09.arrangements found the funding model does not represent value for money
:08:10. > :08:18.and also founded his incompatible with long-term strategy, for those
:08:19. > :08:21.future investigations and prosecutions. So will he look at
:08:22. > :08:26.alternative funding models to ensure that the SFO is on a sustainable
:08:27. > :08:34.footing and not subject to the Treasury veto? She will recognise
:08:35. > :08:38.that this report from the Chief Inspector, which I asked him to
:08:39. > :08:44.produce to look at the way the Serious Fraud Office is governed,
:08:45. > :08:47.was a very balanced report, putting forward some positive points about
:08:48. > :08:50.the way in which the Serious Fraud Office has improved under the
:08:51. > :08:55.direction of the current director. But she is right. Questions were
:08:56. > :09:01.asked about the funding model and there is a balanced to be struck
:09:02. > :09:04.here, as I have indicated. We have to make sure the Serious Fraud
:09:05. > :09:09.Office has the money it needs, and the direct will never refuse to
:09:10. > :09:14.proceed in a case for a lack of funding, so there is no veto, as she
:09:15. > :09:18.suggests. But we have to balance the need for that money with the need
:09:19. > :09:23.not to have capacity which is not being used and being paid for by the
:09:24. > :09:26.taxpayer. So the Blockbuster funding model has been considered to strike
:09:27. > :09:31.the balance correctly, but I will look carefully at what the Chief
:09:32. > :09:38.Inspector Kay says, and decide whether changes appropriate. I will
:09:39. > :09:43.answer this with questions five, six, seven and 11. As pro bono
:09:44. > :09:49.champions of the government, the Attorney General and I continue to
:09:50. > :09:52.support a number of projects throughout coordinating committees
:09:53. > :10:02.that we believe crime for is how important pro bono education is,
:10:03. > :10:06.internationally as well as domestic. Forgive me regarding the numbering,
:10:07. > :10:18.it is sometimes difficult to follow when there are number of questions
:10:19. > :10:24.on the same matter. Forgiveness is given! The action of certain lawyers
:10:25. > :10:28.bring the profession to disrepute, but thousands of people across the
:10:29. > :10:34.country achieve justice through pro bono work. Will he agree with me
:10:35. > :10:46.that those lawyers that give their time free of charge are helping
:10:47. > :10:51.justice in this country? In the last financial year, ?601 million worth
:10:52. > :11:01.of work was provided pro bono by lawyers in private practice. The
:11:02. > :11:04.solicitors are recognising that their time makes a difference to
:11:05. > :11:11.people who would be denied access to justice otherwise.
:11:12. > :11:17.They play an important role within our society and often operate under
:11:18. > :11:24.immense financial pressure. What is my honourable friend doing to
:11:25. > :11:27.encourage law firms to provide pro bono services to the small charity
:11:28. > :11:34.to cut running costs and focus resources on making a difference
:11:35. > :11:38.within communities? I think the lady raises an interesting point. It's
:11:39. > :11:41.right to pay tribute to the existing pro bono commitment by the legal
:11:42. > :11:46.profession is alongside the voluntary sector in terms of
:11:47. > :11:51.trustees support and other advice that is given to a range of local
:11:52. > :11:53.charities both in her constituency, my constituency and many other
:11:54. > :12:04.communities the length of this country. Can the Minister update the
:12:05. > :12:06.house as to whether he believes the public legal understanding has
:12:07. > :12:12.caught up with the legal changes surrounding sexting and revenge
:12:13. > :12:18.pornography? I think there is no valuable role to be played in the
:12:19. > :12:23.form of public legal education -- invaluable role. I have seen in
:12:24. > :12:31.schools how the support of lawyers can run sessions and social media
:12:32. > :12:33.and law. It is of extreme sensitivity and importance to young
:12:34. > :12:40.people in particular and I believe that with the running of appropriate
:12:41. > :12:46.courses young people can be taught about the consequences of these
:12:47. > :12:51.criminal acts. The legal profession may have its the tractors but one of
:12:52. > :12:55.its finest traditions is that lawyers are encouraged to undertake
:12:56. > :12:58.pro bono work but what more can be done to take this pro bono work into
:12:59. > :13:06.schools both in Dorset and across the country? I'm grateful to my
:13:07. > :13:11.friend who is a barrister of some distinction in the South West speaks
:13:12. > :13:14.with experience about his work and indeed the role of pro bono in the
:13:15. > :13:20.profession that he and I are part of. I would urge him to liaise with
:13:21. > :13:24.local law firms that he will know well in his constituency in order to
:13:25. > :13:29.spread the work through schools and colleges throughout his part Dorset
:13:30. > :13:38.and in the wider area. I'm sure the gentlemen will put that tribute on
:13:39. > :13:43.his website! In a matter of minutes! I thank the Attorney General for his
:13:44. > :13:47.replies on this topic. I would ask how the government can further help
:13:48. > :13:51.the efforts of charities such as law works, a pro bono legal advice
:13:52. > :13:55.service supported by the Law Society which targets the most needy and has
:13:56. > :14:02.offices across the UK. I'm grateful to my friend and he's right to raise
:14:03. > :14:06.law works. It's been an active member of the coordinating committee
:14:07. > :14:11.of pro bono for several years since October of 2014 the Ministry of
:14:12. > :14:13.Justice has provided funding the litigant person support strategy
:14:14. > :14:18.which is designed to help organisations in the third sector to
:14:19. > :14:21.deliver increased support to litigants in person and I'm sure
:14:22. > :14:32.that he will put that on his website. I've done if fair bit of
:14:33. > :14:37.pro bono legal work as well. It is often a supper jute where there is
:14:38. > :14:42.inadequate access to legal aid. It was greatly cart and the last
:14:43. > :14:47.government. Will this government look at the possibility of taking
:14:48. > :14:51.interest and client account and using that for legal aid? That is
:14:52. > :14:57.each solicitor in private practice having a client account in which a
:14:58. > :15:00.client 's money is kept separately, that and interests, such interest in
:15:01. > :15:07.some jurisdictions is used to fund legal aid. This common should look
:15:08. > :15:14.about for England. I appreciate the constructive part of the gentleman
:15:15. > :15:17.'s question. It is an idea that I think should be looked at by my
:15:18. > :15:21.colleagues in the Ministry of Justice. However I am cautious about
:15:22. > :15:25.compulsion because one of the great things about pro bono is that it is
:15:26. > :15:28.a voluntary thing but I will say this to him, it's all very well for
:15:29. > :15:31.the honourable gentleman to criticises government for cuts to
:15:32. > :15:36.legal aid but he'll remember being a member of Parliament at the time of
:15:37. > :15:39.the so-called axis to Justice act when a Labour government destroyed
:15:40. > :15:45.civil legal aid so I won't take lectures from the party opposite. I
:15:46. > :15:49.have always been a supporter of pro bono work when I was a barrister
:15:50. > :15:52.before entered this house and since but would the general approved agree
:15:53. > :15:57.with me that on the basis of his last and so will he said that Bruno
:15:58. > :16:01.won't work is voluntary, that is provides CYA could never be used as
:16:02. > :16:06.a policy solution to sort out the government cuts to legal aid. As Lee
:16:07. > :16:13.and wouldn't when well knows, by the attorney and I and the governments
:16:14. > :16:19.do not advocate it is a supper jute. It is an adjunct to legal aid and
:16:20. > :16:26.always should be. Nobody is going to deny the work of pro bono and
:16:27. > :16:32.welcome it, but it is no supper jute for access to justice. There will be
:16:33. > :16:38.no -- so we know which areas get the justice, will the Minister publish
:16:39. > :16:40.only hours pro bono are available in each geographical area so we know
:16:41. > :16:47.whether we do have access to justice? I think with respect to
:16:48. > :16:54.everybody who works in the pro bono area I do not want to be attracted
:16:55. > :16:58.from the important work of pro bono by trying to pretend that somehow it
:16:59. > :17:03.isn't legal aid service, it is not, it is voluntary, it is a vital part
:17:04. > :17:07.of what it is to be a lawyer and not only does it provide a benefit for
:17:08. > :17:13.those who it serves it also is an important part of the redevelopment
:17:14. > :17:17.of lawyers themselves. This party is committed to funding our legal
:17:18. > :17:22.services, with spending just short of ?2 billion a year on legal aid
:17:23. > :17:25.and I'm sorry, it sits very ill for the party opposite to lecture is
:17:26. > :17:33.about the amount we spend on legal aid when it merrily cut it when in
:17:34. > :17:41.office. I declare an interest in that my wife is a part-time tribunal
:17:42. > :17:48.judge and legal aid lawyer. We'll praise the work of lawyers who give
:17:49. > :17:54.up their time to advice and assist and law centres and citizens advice
:17:55. > :17:56.bureau but does the Minister agree that these individuals and
:17:57. > :18:08.organisations cannot possibly fill the gap left by class sport? In
:18:09. > :18:12.April 2010, more than 470,000 people received assistance for social
:18:13. > :18:21.welfare matters, just 12 months after last port that number was on
:18:22. > :18:26.the 53,000, a drop of 19%. Will the Minister please urge the Justice
:18:27. > :18:34.Secretary to bring forward the promised review of last port? I hear
:18:35. > :18:38.what the honourable gentleman says and I will say to him again that I
:18:39. > :18:44.think that whilst it is absolutely right thrust to celebrate the work
:18:45. > :18:47.of barristers, solicitors and legal executives in providing pro bono and
:18:48. > :18:50.public legal education, this country still enjoys one of the most
:18:51. > :18:55.generous and widespread legal aid systems in the world. It is
:18:56. > :19:01.something that we should be proud about and something we should
:19:02. > :19:04.celebrate and it is not... It is wrong that the party opposite seek
:19:05. > :19:08.to take the moral high ground when I watched them cut the legal aid
:19:09. > :19:23.system when they had 13 years in power. Number five. There are a
:19:24. > :19:27.number of factors that are likely to impact upon the variation of
:19:28. > :19:30.conviction rates for disability hate crimes. I'm actively considering
:19:31. > :19:33.them and I believe that the best practice in order to provide
:19:34. > :19:38.consistency of approach is the network of hate crime coordinators
:19:39. > :19:41.that the CPS has established which includes the important issue of
:19:42. > :19:52.disability hate crime. I thank the Attorney General. There were 62,000
:19:53. > :19:57.estimated disability hate crimes in 2013. Only 574 resulted in
:19:58. > :20:00.prosecutions. As he said, there was huge regional variation in the
:20:01. > :20:04.prosecution rate so is he concerned as I am about this uncanny be a bit
:20:05. > :20:09.more specific about how he is actually going to address this so
:20:10. > :20:14.disability hate crime doesn't depend on where you live? I'm grateful to
:20:15. > :20:17.the honourable lady and she will know that I've had a long-standing
:20:18. > :20:22.interest in this issue and I travelled to her region some months
:20:23. > :20:26.ago and met with local advocacy groups waste Preston who deal with
:20:27. > :20:29.third-party reporting because a lot of people with disabilities do not
:20:30. > :20:33.have the confidence to go straight to the police and I believe it
:20:34. > :20:38.through third-party reporting mechanisms that we can bridge that
:20:39. > :20:41.gap between a 62,000 cases she mentioned and the small number of
:20:42. > :20:47.prosecutions. We got to improve that rate. These are terrible crimes but
:20:48. > :20:49.one of the problems is the inconsistencies in different police
:20:50. > :20:53.areas. Does he agree with me that this is an important role for the
:20:54. > :20:59.College policing to make sure standards are consistent throughout
:21:00. > :21:02.the country? I am grateful. He is correct in his assumption. There was
:21:03. > :21:07.an invaluable roundtable at the national college of policing in
:21:08. > :21:11.September which I attended and spoke out involving regional leaders from
:21:12. > :21:14.all parts of the country precisely designed to deal with the issue of
:21:15. > :21:19.hate crime and in particular disability hate crime. I think that
:21:20. > :21:23.by sharing best practice such as the third-party reporting mechanisms I
:21:24. > :21:27.mentioned we can improve and raises rates not just in relation to hate
:21:28. > :21:34.crime but all crime committed against people with disabilities.
:21:35. > :21:37.Nine. As the house would expect, I meet very readily with the advocate
:21:38. > :21:43.general for Scotland and the conversations I have with him cover
:21:44. > :21:45.a wide range of topics. Human rights are not confirmed by the new
:21:46. > :21:49.Scotland act because they are already devolved. This is because
:21:50. > :21:54.they are not listed within schedule five of the Scotland act 1998. Does
:21:55. > :21:58.the Attorney General accept the changing Scotland's framework of
:21:59. > :22:02.human rights will require a legislative consent motion from this
:22:03. > :22:05.cottage Parliament? I'm always amazed at the ingenuity of the
:22:06. > :22:10.Scottish Nationalist party to have the same question inside a different
:22:11. > :22:15.ways every time we meet. As she knows because she's heard the answer
:22:16. > :22:19.before, the Human Rights Act is not a devolved matter, the Human Rights
:22:20. > :22:22.Act is a reserved matter and that is a matter which the whole United
:22:23. > :22:27.Kingdom Parliament will consider when we bring forward proposals for
:22:28. > :22:34.change. Ingenuity is a valuable parliamentary commodity. I'm
:22:35. > :22:37.genuinely mystified at our apparent ingenuity when clearly human rights
:22:38. > :22:41.are not listed within schedule five, it is the exhaustive list of
:22:42. > :22:44.reservations, it is not in there! What are the legal basis for this
:22:45. > :22:49.assertion? Human rights are devolved to Scotland? I'm not sure how meet
:22:50. > :22:54.on the end of the same and away with it but the position is as set it
:22:55. > :23:00.out. The position is as I've set it out. The Human Rights Act is a
:23:01. > :23:07.matter for the UK Parliament and I entirely understand the frustration
:23:08. > :23:10.of the SNP that they have to sit in the United Kingdom Parliament but
:23:11. > :23:14.I'm afraid that was the decision of the Scottish people and they will
:23:15. > :23:25.have to live with it. Questions to the Minister for women and equality
:23:26. > :23:29.is. Number one. There are 306 to 5000 more disabled people in work
:23:30. > :23:31.than two years ago. Our ambition to halve the disability employment gap
:23:32. > :23:38.is a key priority for the government. People currently in the
:23:39. > :23:42.work-related activity group will not see their payments reduced, however
:23:43. > :23:45.all new claimants from April 2017 well and that includes many people
:23:46. > :23:52.who have learning disabilities and need the same support as people...
:23:53. > :23:57.Will further cuts in the incomes of the table people helped to work?
:23:58. > :24:01.Those that would be in the support group will see no changes at all. On
:24:02. > :24:05.the specific area of those with learning disabilities, we set up a
:24:06. > :24:07.task force jointly with