Live Justice Questions House of Commons


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Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Justice. Mr

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Dominic Raab. Number one. First of all, I would like to pay

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tribute to the work done by my honourable friend on human rights

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reform as a minister in this department. He is a great champion

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of liberty. This Government is committed to scrapping the Human

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Rights Act and introducing a British Bill of Rights. Dominic Raab. Thank

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you, Mr Speaker. At the outset, it is an honour to be the first

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honourable member to welcome the new Justice Secretary and the new front

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bench team to their posts. I wish them every success. Can I,

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personally, from experience, assure her that being a lawyer is of very

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limited value in her departments, no offence to the Minister of State!

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Britain's decision to leave the EU will remove the jurisdiction of the

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Luxembourg court, probably the biggest obstacle to delivering a

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Bill of Rights. Can I welcome her in continuing with this reform and ask

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the government to provide consultation as soon as possible?

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I thank my honourable friend for his question. This is an important

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reform, we need to get it right. We will be introducing proposals in due

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course, we will deliver on this manifesto commitment.

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Which convention rights does the Justice Secretary propose to leave

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out of the Bill of Rights? I thank the honourable gentleman for

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his question. I remember with fondness our time together on the

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Justice select committee, where he had many good thoughts to put

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forward at that time. We will be putting out our proposals in due

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course that will discuss this issue in detail. One of the important

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points is that we want to see the ultimate arbiter of those rights be

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the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

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Charlie Elphicke. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that one of

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the problems with the current setup is the code includes many

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reservations and qualifications which the European Court does not

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embrace, and a British Bill of Rights could ensure that there is

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proper balance and the interest of justice can be served? My honourable

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friend makes a very good point, that is absolutely the reason that we

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want to pursue a British Bill of Rights that'll put that in place.

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Alistair Carmichael. If we are to have the Supreme Court as the

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ultimate arbiter, does this mean that if the Lord Chancellor wants to

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withdraw from the European Convention?

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The Prime Minister has been very clear that leaving the easy HR is

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not something that we will pursue. Julian Brazier. Could I too welcome

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my right honourable friend to her post, and her determination to

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proceed with a British Bill of Rights? Could I urge her to remember

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that the cornerstone of the rule of law in this country has always been

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the sovereignty of Parliament, could I urge her not to listen to those

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who argue that somehow or other getting rid of an act which came 40

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years after we had signed up to the European Convention on human rights

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somehow or other undermines our position within the treaty?

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He is absolutely right, human rights were not invented in 1998 with the

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Human Rights Act. We have a strong record of the country of human

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rights dating back to Magna Carta. The British Bill of Rights is going

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to be the next step in enshrining those rights in our laws.

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May I welcome the Secretary of State to her new role and say that well,

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of course it is not a prerequisite for her role to be a lawyer, she

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will no doubt wish to listen carefully to any legal advice she

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receives in order... Relation to any proposals to reform the law. There

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was almost universal opposition to the repeal of the Human Rights Act

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in Scotland, reflected in the Scottish parliament and across

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Scottish Civic Society. On the 11th of August I wrote to the Government

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of Britain seeking clarification on the plans of the so-called reform to

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the Human Rights Act. I have yet to receive a substantive response. At

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what stage in her plans with the Secretary of State seek to consult

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with the Scottish Government, and can she confirmed that she will

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listen to and respect the answer? I thank her for her question. I have

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already had a number of legal meetings on this issue and I am sure

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I will enjoy working with the legal profession in this role. The Prime

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Minister has already had a very good meeting with the First Minister of

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Scotland, I will be meeting the Scottish justice minister shortly to

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discuss a number of issues. Order, I apologise, I had not

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realised that the honourable and Leonard lady wanted a second bite of

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herself. LAUGHTER

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I was rather hoping to have the second bite of Her Majesty's

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Government. I thank the Secretary of State for

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her early response. If she has been having legal meetings about the

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Human Rights Act she would have been advised that human rights are not a

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reserved matter, therefore the Scottish Parliament must be

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consulted regarding any legislation with regard to human rights. During

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the independence rep around, Scotland was told it was an equal

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partner in this union. Did she appreciate that to repeal the Human

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Rights Act across the UK would fly in the face of that promise and

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exacerbate the democratic deficit that already exists in Scotland,

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where a Tory Government we did not vote for is planning to take us out

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of the European Union against our will?

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I thank her for her question. I would point out that this was in the

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Conservative Party manifesto, we secured a majority at the general

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election. As I said, I will be in touch with the Scottish justice

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minister and look forward to talking to him on the subject.

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Richard Bergen. Thank you again, Mr Speaker. I would like to welcome the

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Secretary of State to her new role. It is good to see a Leeds person at

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both dispatch boxes. Like me, I understand that she comes from good

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left-wing Leeds stock, I look forward to our exchanges.

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In her swearing-in ceremony, the Justice Secretary quoted with

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approval the late Lord Bingham. On the Human Rights Act, Lord Bingham

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asked in 2009, which of these rights, I asked, would you wish to

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discard? And went on to say there may be those who would like to live

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in a country where these rights are not protected, but I am not of their

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number. To get the Secretary of State another chance, because she

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failed to answer the question from my honourable friend the member for

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Kingston-upon-Hull earlier, which of these rights did she wish to

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discard? I also welcome the honourable

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gentleman to the dispatch box, it is great to have somebody who is also

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from Leeds facing me. And to highlight the error of my ways after

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growing up in a left-wing household in that great city.

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LAUGHTER All I can say is I believe that

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everyone is capable of reform, even those, Mr Speaker, on the benches

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opposite. I have not given up hope yet on the

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Shadow Secretary of State for Health adjusters. The whole purpose of the

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Bill of Rights is to enhance human rights in this country. We have

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leading human rights since Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights published

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in Wales in 1689, and we will continue to lead the world in human

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rights. Thank you very much to the Secretary

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of State for that response. But we were very clear that we will replace

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the Human Rights Act, which is not working for British people, with a

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British Bill of Rights. It gives the ultimate power to citizens in this

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country. These were the words of the Secretary of State on the today

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programme in May 20 15. Given that and the answer she has just given,

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can she explain to the house why she wants to rob the people of Britain

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of their rights, and will she admits that talk of a so-called bill of

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rights is simply posturing and making concessions to the hard right

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of the Conservative Party? Human rights were not invented in

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1998 with the Human Rights Act. There are major issues with the

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Human Rights Act. We need to move forward, had a British Bill of

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Rights that enshrines our ancient liberties.

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We do no need to make progress, as there are lots of questions, and

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progress has been slow so far. Can we be speeded up by Mr John Mann?

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Hate crime is abhorrent and has no place in society, the Government

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published its plan to tackle hate crime, Action Against Hate, in July

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20 16. The Government believes that the enforcement of criminal

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legislation has an important role in tackling online hate, Willie

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deterrence and prevention which needs a broader response and

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effective management from the Internet industry.

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Last time I asked the Secretary of State question she invited me to

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join her on a delegation to China. May reciprocate and invite the front

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bench to come to Bassetlaw today in bench to come to Bassetlaw today in

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the Jubilee room, hosted by myself and the member for Newark. True

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Vision, the Internet reporting organisation based in her officers,

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is the pride and joy of her department and the envy of every

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other Government in the world. Is she going to allow it to disappear

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into some other government departments, or will she keep it in

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her department? I thank him for his

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characteristically delivered question. The Secretary of State, I

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gather, recently wrote to him on this matter. The cross government

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hate crime programme is highly regarded by this government, and

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internationally. I am committed to ensuring that this important work

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continues. I would like to welcome my

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honourable friend. The government was right to make posting revenge

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porn online crime. Figures released today show that have been 200

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prosecutions, yet more than 1000 reported cases of revenge

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pornography reported to the police. Does the Minister agree with me that

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as with other sex-related crimes, perhaps anonymity for victims needs

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to be carefully considered in these cases?

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I thank my honourable friend for this question and the work she and

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the select committee do in this area, it is a terrible abuse of

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trust which can leave victims feeling the bated and degraded. By

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making it a specific offence can offence we've sent clear message

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this will not be tolerated, with regard to anonymity I'm interested

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in what she's saying she would write me on that issue I will consider it.

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Can look on the Minister to his post and ask if he has seen the comments

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the Director of Public Prosecutions this morning that social media is

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one of the driving forces behind the record high in recorded crimes,

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violent crimes against women and girls, and welcomed what he said

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about needing a broader response to these issues. Can he tell me what he

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plans to do to safeguard the many specialist services that exist to

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support women who are suffering online harassment and abuse, many of

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which are suffering from funding cuts? As I already stated, this

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crime is deplorable. I suspect it has always happened and social media

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has facilitated it and we are now detecting a greater level of crime

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of this kind. I am determined to maintain services that support women

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and men who are subjected to this crime and will continue to keep a

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close eye on that. What action is the Government taking to combat

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online anti-Semitic hate crime emanating from extremist groups on

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campus? Like revenge pawn, these are all pulling crimes, more easily

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committed by the internet and use of anonymity with specifically regards

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to anti-Semitism, thanks to the fantastic work for the member for

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Bassetlaw and his all-party group, the Government has made significant

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advances and I will consider her comments, particularly on campus. In

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the last year, assaults have risen by 31% and those on staff in our

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prisons have risen by 40%. This is totally an acceptable and I'm

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determined to tackle it. Reforming prisons will only be possible if

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they are made safer places for staff and offenders alike. The section of

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state makes clear prisons safety but continues to deteriorate and is a

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major problem got putting prisoners and staff at risk but the major

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issue that must be tackled is the retention of staff. Can she set out

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what she will do to make this a priority and how she will succeed

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her predecessors have failed? I agree with the honourable lady that

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retention of staff is a very important issue. I've been to a

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number of prisons and seen how brave, fearless and hard our prison

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officers are, they are a vital in turning around offenders and getting

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them the education and skills they need to succeed outside and I'm

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determined to support them and work with them. Over the coming months I

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will lay out more detailed plans. May I warmly welcome the secretary

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of state and her team to their posts, lawyers are sometimes have

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their uses. -- do sometimes. Her predecessor made prison reformer

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centrepiece of the agenda, he rightly described the deterioration

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in safety and prisons as terrible. The figures have now got worse, he

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committed to an action plan to tackle violence in our prisons. Will

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she reaffirm that? Can she tell us what specific steps will be taken to

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deal with what is a ticking time bomb that we have in our criminal

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justice system? Because nothing else works if that isn't right. Can I

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first say how pleased I've been to be able to meet the chairman of the

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select committee, I take the advice of all my lord, but particularly the

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chairman of these like committee extremely seriously, this is a

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critical issue that faces our prisons. We cannot have reforming

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our prisons if we don't have safe prisons for people to work in. These

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things go hand-in-hand and I'm committed to an agenda of making our

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prisons safe and places of reform, I will lay out my plan is very shortly

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on this issue and I look forward to discussing it more with the select

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committee tomorrow. Will the Secretary of State look again at

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statements that were made by her department recently around numbers

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of prison officers, her department claims the number has increased, it

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hasn't and when the will should look again because I believe not taken

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into account staff being regretted or the number of hours actually work

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when she examines the number of officers in the system. I thank the

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honourable lady for her question, I will of course look at those numbers

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in detail and I'm looking at them just now. What I would say as well

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as the number of staff, it is important how staff are deployed and

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how staff are trained and the Paras the governors have to be able to get

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the best out of the staff working in the prisons. I agree, staff are

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crucial to make them work well. One of the causes of lack of safety and

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prisons has been psychoactive substances, with the secretary agree

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with me that the ban on possession of the substances in prison should

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improve the safety of other prisoners and prison officers if

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that ban is properly enforced? My honourable friend is right, they

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have, MPS have been a major issue in our prisons. I was pleased when I

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visited HMB Norwich last week to see they are using the new wedges Laois

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and the tackle that issue -- the new legislation. The search and catch

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people out and they is exceeded in reducing the amount of usage of that

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struggle ready. I would like is it that type of programme happening

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more across our prison estate. Forgive me, I think the summer

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recess has taken its toll, I am determined to ensure our prisons are

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places of safety and reform, we need to help get offenders of drugs,

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improve their education and get the work skills they need so they are

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less likely to reoffend when they come out. Could she answered this

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question, does she see a connection between the long-term decline in

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prison officer numbers down 30% between 2010 and 2013 and they are

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going down again and this massive increase on assaults on staff, 90%

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up on the last month? I thank the honourable gentleman for his

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question, there are many factors driving prison violence and self

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harm, I am looking at the evidence about what will work and what steps

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we can take but I'm determined to tackle this and I'm very clear the

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current levels of violence we have are unacceptable. Can I warmly

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congratulate the secretary of state and the new ministerial team on

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their appointment, of course we need more prison officers but can of

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these extra of state and their ministers to look at greater use of

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as mentors. Wandsworth is leading the way with 50 mentor 's teaching

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education, but we can also do this in terms of both employment for

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therapeutic use and to cut down the use of drugs. I referred to that my

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honourable friend and as group to prison minister said a tremendous

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work and we're learning from the work he carried out in the

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Department. He makes an important point and I think we need to look at

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overall prison culture in some of our best prisons, we do have

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exemplary work going on such as mentoring and we have to make sure

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that is happening across our prison estate. The Secretary of State might

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be aware the head of the prison service in Northern Ireland recently

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stepped down, attacks on prison staff are on the rise, can she

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ensure her department is engaging actively with the Department of

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Justice in Northern Ireland to see what lessons can be learned and to

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try and improve safety and prisons in Northern Ireland. Thank the

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honourable gentleman for his question, I have been in touch with

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the Justice minister in Northern Ireland and I look forward to

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speaking Derringer course. My congratulate the sexy of state on

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her appointment, is part of the problem that we have so many

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Victorian prisons? -- secretary of state. The honourable gentleman is

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right. We have a big issue with prisons that are out of date and not

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fit for purpose. It makes it more difficult for our excellent

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governors and more officers to manage well. I'm pleased to say this

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summer we were able to close Holloway prison. We have our ?1.3

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billion building programme and what I want to see his new modern prisons

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built brewery can see prisoners get the education and work then is

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exceeded in outside life. As McGeeney to succeed. And close down

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some of our most dilapidated and outdated prisons. It is crucial that

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victims of crime are supported as effectively as possible, the victims

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called was revised in 2015, victims of all, no fences after entitled to

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support from a wide range of organisation as well as criminal

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justice agencies. The reforms the court will improve services for

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victims and their families got ensemble to give evidence remotely

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and digitally. Over 23,000 individual crimes reported in

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Enfield over the past 12 months, for far too long the victims of these

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crimes have been forgotten and ignored by the criminal justice

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system. Given that the victims commissioner support the

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introduction of a long for victims of crime, when will the Government

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fulfil its election manifesto commitment to bring forward

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legislation on the issue? I thank the honourable lady for her

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question. We want to make sure all vulnerable and intimidated witnesses

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can give the best evidence in court and feel less anxious, we are

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committed to making sure victims of crime get the support they need, we

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have protected the overall level of funding for victims across the

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spending review period and have announced funding of over 95 main

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pounds in 20 extreme to find critical support services. -- 2016.

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Victims of crime want to see the perpetrators of that crime properly

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punished. Is the minister happy that prisoners are automatically released

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halfway through their prison sentence no matter how disruptive

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they are or not much how much of a threat they still pose the public or

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does he agree that prisoners should serve the sentence was handed down

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by the courts in full? Thank my honourable friend for his question.

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The purpose of justice and the justice system must be the primary

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goal to reduce reoffending. If somebody in prison has been assessed

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and is deemed not a risk to society and is being properly rehabilitated,

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it is in the best interests of that individual and for that person to be

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released. Too often the victims of criminal driving, they are and their

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families are not treated as victims of crime, told they were involved in

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annexes and does McCain an accident. When will that got to be changed and

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had Minister tell us where we will finally get the review into the

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sentencing of these types of offences? Thank euphoric the

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question -- thank you for the question. I don't see that as part

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of my purview but if he would write to me I will reply to him on this

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issue. I would agree victims in these situations need more

:23:53.:23:54.

protection and the culture needs to change. The best ways to ensure

:23:55.:24:01.

justice is served is to ensure victims have the chance to make a

:24:02.:24:04.

victim impact statement to the court but this does not always happen.

:24:05.:24:08.

What can the Minister do to ensure this happens in every case? I thank

:24:09.:24:14.

the honourable gentleman for his question. As I understand it, they

:24:15.:24:19.

are getting more opportunity to do this now because of the opportunity

:24:20.:24:23.

today this online I would agree that this is something that should be put

:24:24.:24:29.

in place. As has been mentioned earlier, today's report on violence

:24:30.:24:34.

against women and girls shows an increase in prosecutions, however

:24:35.:24:38.

victims charities remain concerned about their futures as was stated by

:24:39.:24:44.

the chair of the usual frog please -- police and crime commissioners

:24:45.:24:48.

supporting the group when asking the ministry to clarify funding

:24:49.:24:50.

available to be cc earlier this year. The manager told my honourable

:24:51.:24:57.

friend for Wigan that he would be keeping an eye on this matter, which

:24:58.:25:02.

is not good enough with respectful so will the secretary of state

:25:03.:25:05.

confirm victim services will receive the full funding are required. The

:25:06.:25:14.

victim services budget has increased significantly from ?48 million to

:25:15.:25:18.

around 95 main pounds in the current financial year. In 2016 and 17 we

:25:19.:25:24.

have allocated about ?7 billion to 99 rate support centres providing up

:25:25.:25:29.

to male and female victims of rape and child sexual abuse. I do not

:25:30.:25:35.

recognise the description the shadow minister has given, this Government

:25:36.:25:38.

is committed to protecting victims, particularly women who have been

:25:39.:25:39.

victims of crime. Question number six. The illicit use

:25:40.:25:51.

of mobile phones in prison undermines security, order and

:25:52.:25:54.

control and has been linked to many forms of criminality. This

:25:55.:25:57.

Government is determined to take action to stop it.

:25:58.:26:02.

The connection between technology and radicalisation by the

:26:03.:26:05.

dissemination of extremism in prisons is one of the most critical

:26:06.:26:10.

challenges we face. Will my honourable friend continue to do all

:26:11.:26:15.

that is possible to ensure that prisoners, who already face

:26:16.:26:18.

difficulties re-engage in with society, do not have a difficult

:26:19.:26:22.

task made impossible by those who would use mobile phones and

:26:23.:26:27.

technology to spread extremist poisoning? My honourable friend will

:26:28.:26:30.

have no doubt seen the Government response to the review on extremism.

:26:31.:26:36.

We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure extremist ideologies are

:26:37.:26:40.

not spread by any means, including mobile phones.

:26:41.:26:46.

There have been reports in Swansea prison of people simply throwing

:26:47.:26:49.

mobile phones over the wall, which provides anonymity for prisoners to

:26:50.:26:55.

indulge in all sorts of criminal activity. What is he doing about

:26:56.:27:00.

this sort of thing? He makes a very important point, every governor I

:27:01.:27:04.

have spoken to in the last six weeks has mentioned the growing problem of

:27:05.:27:08.

illegal mobile phones in prison. I believe technology is titled --

:27:09.:27:13.

vital to detect and block these phones, so in addition to the range

:27:14.:27:17.

of technologies already deployed across the prison estate, we have

:27:18.:27:20.

held a high-level meeting with mobile network operators asking them

:27:21.:27:24.

to use their expertise to develop new technological solutions to deny

:27:25.:27:30.

mobile phone signals in prisons. As responsible businesses, I expect

:27:31.:27:35.

these operators to fully cooperate. Question seven. There is and there

:27:36.:27:43.

will be an appropriate level of corporate vision for the people of

:27:44.:27:54.

Bari. -- people of Bury. Thank you, and I warmly welcome my

:27:55.:27:58.

honourable and learned friend to his new role, and thank you for that

:27:59.:28:03.

brief reply. While school provision might be regarded as adequate now,

:28:04.:28:07.

what is important is that it continues to be adequate in the

:28:08.:28:11.

future. And with the new Lord Chancellor and a new ministerial

:28:12.:28:15.

team, could I ask that they look again at the proposals for North

:28:16.:28:19.

Manchester, particularly the consequential effects on, for

:28:20.:28:23.

example, the police budget as the police are faced with longer journey

:28:24.:28:28.

times when they attend court? I am immensely indebted to the

:28:29.:28:31.

honourable gentleman. Can I start by paying tribute to the

:28:32.:28:35.

work that my honourable friend has done, and for the proposals that he

:28:36.:28:39.

has put forward about his local court situation. He will know, as a

:28:40.:28:46.

lawyer as well, that we are investing huge amounts of money, ?1

:28:47.:28:51.

billion, to transform Court Central ideal is. This modern technology

:28:52.:28:57.

improves efficiency and means fewer people need to attend court in

:28:58.:29:01.

person. There are excellent facilities are available to the

:29:02.:29:06.

people of Bury and Manchester, which has some of the best courts in the

:29:07.:29:09.

country. The Minister will know that the

:29:10.:29:13.

proposals across the whole of Greater Manchester are quite far

:29:14.:29:17.

reaching and controversial in parts of that city region. Can he explain

:29:18.:29:22.

to the house is precisely what has been agreed with the Greater

:29:23.:29:27.

Manchester combined authority in the memorandum of understanding that his

:29:28.:29:30.

department has signed with them, and whether or not it means the combined

:29:31.:29:36.

authority can look again at some of those procedures? Of course, he will

:29:37.:29:40.

realise that none of these decisions is taken lightly and it is important

:29:41.:29:44.

to work closely with local government. That is exactly what has

:29:45.:29:49.

been happening. Just to give him an impression of the tremendous

:29:50.:29:54.

improvement that this Court modernisation programme is making,

:29:55.:29:58.

it has been going for four months and 6 million pieces of paper have

:29:59.:30:04.

been avoided as a result, that is a pile of paper, using digital case

:30:05.:30:10.

files. 6 million pieces of paper avoided, meaning a pile as high as

:30:11.:30:13.

the largest building in London, the Shard. Huntington is a splendid part

:30:14.:30:20.

of the world which deserves to be very well represented by the

:30:21.:30:23.

honourable gentleman, but it is a long way from Bury, to which this

:30:24.:30:29.

question exclusively relates. The question is about Bury. He can come

:30:30.:30:31.

in later and I look forward to hearing from him.

:30:32.:30:40.

This information is published by the legal professions. For example, 30%

:30:41.:30:46.

of QCs are women and 6% of QCs declare themselves as coming from a

:30:47.:30:56.

BA any background. -- a BAME background. That shows a very

:30:57.:31:03.

limited progress. What can the Government do to improve this? I

:31:04.:31:11.

thank him for his question. We want a justice system that works for

:31:12.:31:15.

everyone, a legal services industry using all the talent in our country.

:31:16.:31:20.

I have already had very positive conversations with the Lord Chief

:31:21.:31:23.

Justice, who is keen to improve diversity figures in the judiciary,

:31:24.:31:28.

and I am due to meet the bar Council shortly to talk -- talk specifically

:31:29.:31:33.

about the bar. What assessment has my right

:31:34.:31:37.

honourable friend made of opportunities to increase

:31:38.:31:39.

apprenticeship -based routes into the legal professions and the prison

:31:40.:31:43.

services, to increase social mobility? I thank him for his

:31:44.:31:50.

question, I am a huge fan of apprenticeships. With the new

:31:51.:31:53.

apprenticeship levy, that brings a big opportunity for some of our

:31:54.:31:57.

large legal services firms, but right across the board to increase

:31:58.:32:01.

the number of apprenticeships. It is something I will talk to them about

:32:02.:32:08.

over the coming months. As one London provider of legal

:32:09.:32:11.

education, fees for the academic year ahead are as follows, nearly

:32:12.:32:17.

?11,000 for the graduate diploma in law, almost ?15,000 for the legal

:32:18.:32:22.

practice course and almost ?19,000 for the bar professional training

:32:23.:32:26.

course. On top of the cost of university education, these fees are

:32:27.:32:30.

beyond the reach of many from ordinary backgrounds. Given this

:32:31.:32:34.

reality, how will the Minister ensure a diverse legal profession?

:32:35.:32:41.

I thank him for his question. I have been discussing this right across

:32:42.:32:45.

the legal profession. One of the issues that we have is that the

:32:46.:32:50.

younger end, we are seeing a lot more diversity, the question is how

:32:51.:32:53.

people progress through the pipeline. I would like to see more

:32:54.:32:57.

transparency so we can look at people moving through the system. I

:32:58.:33:03.

have no doubt that with the Lord Chief Justice and leading judges,

:33:04.:33:06.

they want to see more diversity and they are keen to work with me.

:33:07.:33:12.

Number nine. With your permission, I will group this with question 15.

:33:13.:33:18.

Prisons must become places of rehabilitation where offenders can

:33:19.:33:22.

change their lives and turn away from crime, addressing health needs

:33:23.:33:25.

including mental health is key in this. We are committed to meeting

:33:26.:33:29.

the mental health needs of prisoners. All prisons must have

:33:30.:33:33.

procedures in place to identify, manage and support those with mental

:33:34.:33:36.

illnesses. Can the Minister confirm that

:33:37.:33:40.

governors will have new powers and abilities to run their own mental

:33:41.:33:44.

health and health budgets, will that also include co-commissioning of

:33:45.:33:48.

mental health services with local CCG Yes? -- CCGs? It is under

:33:49.:33:59.

consideration at present, I think commissioners have an important part

:34:00.:34:03.

to play in helping to structure health care services within prison.

:34:04.:34:09.

Does the Department have a figure for the numbers in prison at the

:34:10.:34:13.

moment who have mental health issues, would my honourable friend

:34:14.:34:17.

reassure me that prison staff are adequately trained to deal with

:34:18.:34:21.

those people exhibiting mental health issues?

:34:22.:34:24.

I thank him for his question. Based on a Ministry of Justice survey, 49%

:34:25.:34:29.

of prisoners were assessed as being at risk from anxiety and/ or

:34:30.:34:36.

depression, 16% reported symptoms indicative of psychosis. Department

:34:37.:34:40.

of Health figures are somewhat different, north of 90% of prisoners

:34:41.:34:46.

have a mental health problem if you include substance misuse. This is an

:34:47.:34:49.

area where I am seeking more data. We are committed to meeting the

:34:50.:34:51.

mental health needs of prisoners, which is why all new intake prison

:34:52.:34:56.

officers receive mental health awareness training as part of

:34:57.:35:02.

entry-level training. 100 people have taken their lives in prison in

:35:03.:35:06.

the past year, the highest level for over 25 years. Over 9000 people have

:35:07.:35:12.

self harmed in prisons, an increase of over 25% in the last year alone.

:35:13.:35:16.

I think the Government should be ashamed, I think it is a dereliction

:35:17.:35:20.

of their duty of care. I want to know what they will actually do to

:35:21.:35:25.

look at the thousands of prisoners who had serious mental health

:35:26.:35:27.

conditions and are not being looked after.

:35:28.:35:31.

I thank the honourable lady for her question. Mental health is pretty

:35:32.:35:37.

complex, the genesis of problems do not just occur in the terms of the

:35:38.:35:41.

parliament. The system in place in terms of mental health care and the

:35:42.:35:46.

continuity of care for people before, during and after their stay

:35:47.:35:49.

should be. I would argue that has should be. I would argue that has

:35:50.:35:55.

been the case for many decades. -- clearly not where it should be. I

:35:56.:35:59.

have been asked to look at this and will be doing so, but this is a huge

:36:00.:36:06.

and very complex area and I am not about to make dispatch box

:36:07.:36:08.

commitments on it as a consequence. But there is a particular risk for

:36:09.:36:12.

women in prison, 30% of women prisoners have had a previous

:36:13.:36:16.

admission for a psychiatric problems before they went into prison. In the

:36:17.:36:21.

last year, 11 women have killed themselves. My impression is that

:36:22.:36:27.

this is because the last Secretary of State did not focus on the

:36:28.:36:31.

recommendations of a report which would have ensured a better level of

:36:32.:36:37.

mental health for women in prison. What is this minister going to do on

:36:38.:36:43.

this report, and on women in prison? I thank her for her question. I have

:36:44.:36:49.

read that report, it is good. It was published in 2007 and is still

:36:50.:36:54.

relevant today, with some international coherence within

:36:55.:36:59.

another report about youth offenders. I will be looking at it

:37:00.:37:04.

and I am personally persuaded of some of the arguments within. But

:37:05.:37:08.

the idea that the former Secretary of State was in anyway not keeping a

:37:09.:37:12.

close eye on this, I have seen no about.

:37:13.:37:24.

Mr Speaker, Speaker... Those convicted of sexual offences

:37:25.:37:28.

are just one cohort of the range we manage daily. In doing so we shall

:37:29.:37:32.

make sure a state capacity is realigned to meet the demand for

:37:33.:37:39.

places, including those convicted of sexual offences. I thank him for his

:37:40.:37:43.

reply. HMP lose in my constituency has seen a huge surge in prisoners

:37:44.:37:49.

for sexual offences, either on remand or serving a sentence. -- HMP

:37:50.:37:56.

fares. This puts pressure on stuffing, space and resources. What

:37:57.:38:02.

specific advice can he give HMP Lewes? Those served with sexual

:38:03.:38:05.

offences at HMP Lewes and general are held in separate units providing

:38:06.:38:10.

suitable accommodation for their offending behaviour. Perhaps I can

:38:11.:38:13.

reassure her that the Brits -- prison received hundred ?55,000 of a

:38:14.:38:20.

?12 million Government fund for safety, planning to spend this on

:38:21.:38:24.

staff. There is a recruitment drive is going on at the moment. Staff are

:38:25.:38:32.

being vetted, a number of staff will be starting imminently.

:38:33.:38:35.

Surely the Minister would understand that whether it is prisoners who

:38:36.:38:41.

have been tried and convicted for crimes of a sexual nature or

:38:42.:38:45.

prisoners with mental health problems or other problems, it is

:38:46.:38:48.

the quality of management prisons which must give us all great

:38:49.:38:54.

concern. When my select committee looked at education in prisons, we

:38:55.:38:57.

kept coming back that the culture of the prison comes from the top and is

:38:58.:39:02.

supported by well-trained and well-educated prison officers.

:39:03.:39:07.

Mr Speaker, I agree entirely with the honourable gentleman that the

:39:08.:39:13.

quality of the leadership in the prison makes a huge difference to

:39:14.:39:18.

the regime, has staff are inspired, but also how deep can rehabilitate

:39:19.:39:22.

offenders. That is why those on this side of the house argue for prison

:39:23.:39:27.

reform, where we empower these governors, give them control of

:39:28.:39:32.

budgets and enable you to get local resources to meet the needs of

:39:33.:39:35.

offenders. Number 11.

:39:36.:39:43.

Mr Speaker, with permission I would like to group questions 11 and 16.

:39:44.:39:49.

Most offenders arrive in prison with very low levels of educational

:39:50.:39:53.

attainment, very high levels of substance misuse and often very poor

:39:54.:39:57.

histories of employment. I believe modern prisons have a purpose, to

:39:58.:40:02.

keep the public safe and tackle each of these issues so prisoners have

:40:03.:40:06.

the foundations to secure and hold down a job on release.

:40:07.:40:10.

I would like to thank my honourable friend, but I have recently visited

:40:11.:40:14.

prisoners from my constituency who told is that offenders do not have

:40:15.:40:19.

access straightaway on release to accident -- national insurance

:40:20.:40:22.

numbers, bank accounts or an employment benefits. What steps are

:40:23.:40:26.

the Government taking to improve this? I agree with the honourable

:40:27.:40:31.

member that if this through the gate services, as we call them, are to

:40:32.:40:36.

work and stop reoffending, things like national insurance numbers and

:40:37.:40:39.

bank accounts need to be in place. There are a series of programmes in

:40:40.:40:43.

place, including an offender banking programme which opened about 5000

:40:44.:40:45.

new bank accounts every year. The Minister and fight the fact that

:40:46.:40:53.

research shows that employment after custody gratefully greatly urges the

:40:54.:40:59.

amount of reoffending. What are they doing with the Department for Work

:41:00.:41:02.

and Pensions to ensure offenders find work after they leave prison

:41:03.:41:08.

and also stay in work? To tackle the challenge of getting prisoners work

:41:09.:41:14.

when they leave, the member has rightly identified it acquires a

:41:15.:41:20.

concerted effort across Government and across the community. Every

:41:21.:41:24.

prisoner has the opportunity to meet with a DWP work coach before their

:41:25.:41:29.

release and the role of the work coaches to guide them to employment.

:41:30.:41:32.

Worse coaches can ensure a prisoner knows their national insurance

:41:33.:41:37.

number and the other services they need in order to make the

:41:38.:41:42.

appropriate transition. When many prisoners are already on short-term

:41:43.:41:46.

sentences for under nine months and are often in prison for short

:41:47.:41:49.

periods, could he give some advice as to governors will be judged on

:41:50.:41:55.

placing those prisoners into employment when the challenges are

:41:56.:42:00.

difficult? I've met with a number of governors since I've been appointed

:42:01.:42:04.

to this job and most governors will tell you what they want is to be

:42:05.:42:08.

empowered to match resources to the needs of prisoners in their prison,

:42:09.:42:16.

working with local employers and the entire community. That is what

:42:17.:42:20.

governors want. The other point is that this is not just the

:42:21.:42:23.

responsibility of governors, if we want prisoners to go out and be able

:42:24.:42:31.

to find work, doing business has a raw, to come in the plays a role and

:42:32.:42:34.

we all have a role, because prisoners can leave them have jobs

:42:35.:42:37.

and restart their lives for the better and we all benefit. More than

:42:38.:42:43.

60% of young people in the justice system have a communications

:42:44.:42:46.

disability and more than one third of young offenders have speaking and

:42:47.:42:50.

listening skills at the level expected for an 11-year-old. With

:42:51.:42:54.

the skills being fundamental with the ability to hold down a job, will

:42:55.:42:58.

the Minister update the house of what assessment the Government makes

:42:59.:43:01.

of speech and language support need and how well that need is being met?

:43:02.:43:08.

The member is obviously right, lots of prisoners arrived with huge

:43:09.:43:14.

learning difficulties and a disadvantage and that is well

:43:15.:43:17.

documented, what we need is individual programmes tailored to

:43:18.:43:20.

the needs of the prisoner and the way to do that as the honourable

:43:21.:43:24.

member said is to empower governors to work with probation companies,

:43:25.:43:30.

rehabilitation organisations to deliver these programmes. He said

:43:31.:43:33.

the minister I raise a report on this matter myself in two dozen and

:43:34.:43:37.

it's got a copy of voice and sure you'll find on the internet. Or in

:43:38.:43:42.

the house library. I'm sure the honourable gentleman does. We are

:43:43.:43:50.

immensely grateful. Fewer than half of the people entering our prisons

:43:51.:43:54.

have basic standards of English and maths, this is an enormous problem

:43:55.:43:58.

because we know low levels of education can be read people from

:43:59.:44:02.

securing jobs on release and leading law-abiding lives. The secretary of

:44:03.:44:08.

state is right in saying in order to get a job the need to have both

:44:09.:44:14.

literacy and numeracy are essential. Should we are putting more resources

:44:15.:44:18.

into educating prisoners on release to be able to get jobs? My

:44:19.:44:24.

honourable friend is right. The fact is too many people enter our prisons

:44:25.:44:28.

without those skills but we need to use that time in prison to help

:44:29.:44:33.

those prisoners gain those basic skills so they succeed outside. What

:44:34.:44:38.

we started doing is measuring, testing prisoners as they enter

:44:39.:44:41.

prisons, what I'm looking to see as we measure the progress made during

:44:42.:44:45.

their stay in prison so we can hold governors accountable for that.

:44:46.:44:50.

Could the Minister confirmed there will be no return to the policy on

:44:51.:44:56.

banning books for prisoners? I confirm that books are freely

:44:57.:45:05.

available in prison. I warmly welcome the Right Honourable friend

:45:06.:45:08.

to her position. I would like to see the new Secretary of State about the

:45:09.:45:13.

importance of art in prisons and I hope that my honourable friend will

:45:14.:45:20.

recognise having deleted -- recognise how they can teach

:45:21.:45:22.

prisoners are range of skills and help she will meet the arts Alliance

:45:23.:45:25.

that the earnest opportunity to discuss what the arts can do in

:45:26.:45:28.

particularly in Laois and to literacy. Firstly can I say what a

:45:29.:45:34.

fantastic job and my honourable friend has done in championing the

:45:35.:45:40.

arts in every part of our country and his legacy lives on. It will

:45:41.:45:47.

live on in our prisons. I'm sure he is overcome with emotion, what a

:45:48.:45:53.

happy day. What discussions will she have with the Justice Department

:45:54.:45:59.

into the Volvo legislators to insure that best practice is replicated in

:46:00.:46:04.

improving literacy across prisons in all of the UK? -- in devolved

:46:05.:46:10.

legislatures. I'm looking forward to meeting my counterpart across the UK

:46:11.:46:14.

and discussing these critical issues because it is a challenge we all

:46:15.:46:17.

face. Extreme brevity is now required. The Government's reform

:46:18.:46:28.

programme is intended to deliver a simple modern justice system that is

:46:29.:46:34.

available for everyone. East Lancashire, including my

:46:35.:46:37.

constituency of Blackburn and up to five other constituencies has only

:46:38.:46:43.

one legal aid, sledgers so that makes listers frontier with housing,

:46:44.:46:47.

what the Minister do about this desert of legal advice? It is

:46:48.:46:53.

important they should be legal aid available and it is in housing

:46:54.:46:58.

cases. As it is, in the most important cases where people's life

:46:59.:47:02.

or liberty or home is at stake, it is also available in domestic

:47:03.:47:06.

violence cases and cases where children may be taken into care. I'm

:47:07.:47:09.

grateful to the honourable lady for highlighting this issue. Let's be

:47:10.:47:14.

clear that legal aid in housing cases is something that is available

:47:15.:47:19.

and there is a national helpline as well as the services of lawyers

:47:20.:47:25.

across the country. Double questions, Mr Douglas Castle. I'm

:47:26.:47:33.

proud to take on the role of Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary,

:47:34.:47:37.

upholding the rule of line and justice system, I'm determined to

:47:38.:47:41.

insure our prisons as of safety and reform, where offenders can get off

:47:42.:47:46.

drugs, improve education and get the work skills they need to their less

:47:47.:47:49.

likely to reoffend. I would like to pay tribute to our brave prison

:47:50.:47:54.

officers and probation staff. Over the next couple of months I will lay

:47:55.:47:59.

out my plans for prison reform and setting out plans to modernise the

:48:00.:48:02.

courts to ensure we continue to have a world leading justice system. Sir

:48:03.:48:09.

James Mumby was asked to undertake a review of the family Court in August

:48:10.:48:16.

2014, can the Minister shed light on ending the secrecy that can lay it

:48:17.:48:21.

to injustice quiz I think the honourable gentleman boys question,

:48:22.:48:24.

Andrew to meet James Mumby next week to discuss this issue. There's been

:48:25.:48:30.

some progress in bringing the family Court but there is a balance to be

:48:31.:48:36.

struck behind highly sensitive issues and opening it up Philly, I

:48:37.:48:39.

will get more detail. Will my honourable friend commit to using

:48:40.:48:45.

all the powers at her disposal to protect British military personnel

:48:46.:48:47.

and veterans who have served our country bravely and with great

:48:48.:48:51.

honour from the spurious and outrageous legal claims like those

:48:52.:48:56.

pursued by people such as public interest lawyers? I am delighted to

:48:57.:48:59.

tell my honourable friend that this summer the legal aid agency pulls

:49:00.:49:04.

the plug on its contract with public interest lawyers, it will no longer

:49:05.:49:10.

be adamant chasing our rave service personnel. Legal aid should support

:49:11.:49:15.

vulnerable people in our society, not used to pursue spurious cases

:49:16.:49:19.

against our Armed Forces who do so much to serve our country. Can I

:49:20.:49:26.

join colleagues in welcoming the new Justice Secretary and her team to

:49:27.:49:30.

their new roles. The Government has created the toxic conditions for the

:49:31.:49:34.

record levels of violence, drug finds and death across the prisons

:49:35.:49:38.

is the bike reducing the number of prison officers by one third yet the

:49:39.:49:41.

former prison minister spent much of his time at the dispatch box this

:49:42.:49:45.

year telling me privately about his department was not successful

:49:46.:49:49.

recruitment drive. He did Justice Secretary did not have the figures

:49:50.:49:52.

earlier answering a question from my friend, so I will help out. Can she

:49:53.:49:58.

explained why we have 421 fewer full-time equivalent front line

:49:59.:50:02.

prison officers working in our public prisons than we did one year

:50:03.:50:08.

ago? I fully acknowledge that we do have issues with violence and safety

:50:09.:50:13.

in our prison, the levels are unacceptable and I determined to

:50:14.:50:17.

deal with issues like this and I will lay out my plans shortly. Since

:50:18.:50:24.

the Government has no provision privatisation, concerns have

:50:25.:50:27.

repeatedly been raised about the quality of presentence reports for

:50:28.:50:30.

the court as a result of our project targets set. The probation

:50:31.:50:32.

inspectors has described this month as a persistent problem leading to

:50:33.:50:37.

inappropriate sentences being handed down. Vital safeguarding checks such

:50:38.:50:42.

as domestic violence checks with pulleys and child protection checked

:50:43.:50:45.

with children's services are not taking place prior to sentencing.

:50:46.:50:50.

Will the Justice Secretary can -- commits to an urgent review to the

:50:51.:50:55.

public, probation professionals and sentences can have confidence when

:50:56.:50:58.

convicted criminals are sensed those deciding of all the necessary

:50:59.:51:03.

evidence available. Probation services do vital work at the

:51:04.:51:09.

minister responsible for prisons and probation is looking very close at

:51:10.:51:12.

this issue. I would point out that those on shorter sentences get much

:51:13.:51:17.

more support thanks to our new probation contracts. Questions must

:51:18.:51:23.

be brief. There is a lot to get to and not much time. I would never

:51:24.:51:30.

excuse criminal behaviour but some former prisoners have been denied

:51:31.:51:33.

opportunities in life many of us take for granted, what is the

:51:34.:51:36.

department and other Government departments doing to ensure the life

:51:37.:51:43.

chances agenda extends the prisons? I thank my honourable friend for

:51:44.:51:47.

that question, prisons are places where some of the problems in

:51:48.:51:51.

society are magnified as the Prime Minister said, if we're going have a

:51:52.:51:55.

society and country that works for everyone and prison reform is part

:51:56.:52:01.

of that come including literacy, training, work in prisons and

:52:02.:52:05.

unemployment opportunities when people are released. The Secretary

:52:06.:52:07.

of State will know that Charlie Taylor was asked to carry out a

:52:08.:52:11.

review of the youth justice system last year and enter it does make an

:52:12.:52:14.

interim report was published in February and we were promised the

:52:15.:52:18.

final one in July, we don't have it, can the Secretary of State as when

:52:19.:52:23.

we don't -- where we will have given explanation? I thank the honourable

:52:24.:52:25.

lady for this question, it's an incredibly important issue, but the

:52:26.:52:30.

youth justice Minster and I have ever met Charlie Taylor and we will

:52:31.:52:32.

be publishing our response this autumn. Does the Department intends

:52:33.:52:40.

to promote English law, the rule of law and our legal sector around the

:52:41.:52:43.

world, particularly to take advantages of the opportunities that

:52:44.:52:50.

may arise from Brexit? English law had a huge impact spreading the rule

:52:51.:52:53.

of Law around the world, it is the law of choice is over one quarter of

:52:54.:52:58.

jurisdictions and Brexit gives us even more opportunities to promote

:52:59.:53:03.

this. I will champion ?25 billion legal services industry as a key

:53:04.:53:12.

part of both Brexit global Britain. The selected media has expressed

:53:13.:53:15.

concern that judges are reporting they hear no money claims at all,

:53:16.:53:22.

claims brought by workers in low-paid sectors and which often

:53:23.:53:25.

succeeded, when will the Government published a review of the impact of

:53:26.:53:29.

implement tribunal fees which is now six months overdue and had to

:53:30.:53:34.

restore justice for opiate workers for low paid. Can I start by

:53:35.:53:39.

welcoming the report on court and tribunal fees, we intend to respond

:53:40.:53:44.

and we will also publish the review of changes to employment tribunal

:53:45.:53:48.

fees in due course. This is an important area and we will do that.

:53:49.:53:55.

I would like to ask the Secretary of State about the treatment of women

:53:56.:53:57.

giving birth in prisons and those with young children. And whether she

:53:58.:54:01.

will do more to ensure that children have access to their mothers and

:54:02.:54:06.

where appropriate their fathers and can be as near to them as possible.

:54:07.:54:13.

I think the honourable lady for the question. 100 babies deserve resided

:54:14.:54:18.

in mother and baby units in prison in 2015, prisons do an excellent job

:54:19.:54:22.

making these environments is built as is possible and babies can spend

:54:23.:54:24.

time away from the prisoners nominated carers but knowing the

:54:25.:54:27.

importance of early years is essential we consider alternative

:54:28.:54:30.

ways of dealing with female offenders including those with young

:54:31.:54:32.

children and babies and care responsibilities. Secretary of State

:54:33.:54:39.

alleged earlier to the closure and imminent sale of Holloway prison and

:54:40.:54:42.

made me aware of the wish to cite a women's sector on the site,

:54:43.:54:47.

discussions are taking place with the Mayor of London but I wonder if

:54:48.:54:50.

the Secretary of State could the sperm she and the Government will

:54:51.:54:53.

play its part in ensuring an outcome that secures services for women on

:54:54.:54:58.

that site. I thank the honourable lady for a question and I will be

:54:59.:55:00.

interested in looking more at the details on that proposal. Following

:55:01.:55:06.

the closure of the Buxton in Micah the previous minister decided that

:55:07.:55:11.

it should go to Stockport and Chesterfield as was originally

:55:12.:55:14.

intense and. Sign has appeared on the district quarries that McCourt

:55:15.:55:18.

has seen the work when the Chesterfield, will my honourable

:55:19.:55:20.

friend investigators and injure the decision by the ministers admitted,

:55:21.:55:25.

not the one by the officials in the original flawed consultation?

:55:26.:55:31.

I am grateful to my honourable friend for having raised this issue,

:55:32.:55:37.

he will be pleased to note that I have had the notice taken down.

:55:38.:55:46.

Busta the response to the consultation stated that the work

:55:47.:55:49.

would go to Stockport in Chesterfield, that is what is

:55:50.:55:53.

happening. Further to a previous question, I

:55:54.:55:56.

have many constituents who cannot get access to employment tribunal is

:55:57.:56:00.

because the fees have proved prohibitive that were introduced in

:56:01.:56:04.

the last parliament. Can the minister promised the Haas today

:56:05.:56:08.

that he will make a statement to the House on the impact of those fees?

:56:09.:56:16.

As he will have heard, we recognise that we need to produce our review,

:56:17.:56:20.

which we will publish, and also to respond to the Justice committee's

:56:21.:56:25.

report. And, of course, their documents, which will be available

:56:26.:56:29.

in the vote office. That will happen in due course, we are committed to

:56:30.:56:34.

that. And effective court administration

:56:35.:56:38.

is very different from retaining costly court buildings. But whether

:56:39.:56:41.

the closures are going hand-in-hand with investment and better use of

:56:42.:56:47.

technology and efficiencies, not least in Bury, Mr Speaker.

:56:48.:56:53.

I was not psychic, but I realised what the honourable gentleman

:56:54.:56:56.

earlier was driving out and I am glad he was persistent. Persistence

:56:57.:57:00.

pays. Minister? My honourable friend is

:57:01.:57:05.

right, we need a programme of transformation that maintains a very

:57:06.:57:10.

high quality of our legal system. I don't think many in this house would

:57:11.:57:13.

disagree that it is one of the best in the world. But we wanted to be

:57:14.:57:19.

the most modern as well. We are investing ?1 billion, we have saved

:57:20.:57:22.

a shard load of paper, as I mentioned earlier, and we will do a

:57:23.:57:28.

lot more of this. Our courts are benefiting from the digital

:57:29.:57:31.

revolution at every other part of society is benefiting from already.

:57:32.:57:39.

My constituent's 17-year-old son was murdered last year. Will the

:57:40.:57:44.

Minister meet with me and the mother to discuss the repeated failings in

:57:45.:57:50.

the justice system that made his -- mean that his killer is still

:57:51.:57:54.

walking the streets? I would be very happy to meet the

:57:55.:57:58.

honourable lady and her constituents, I am sorry to hear

:57:59.:58:02.

about the case. Colin pitchfork was convicted of

:58:03.:58:07.

raping and murdering two young girls in the 1980s. Will the Minister

:58:08.:58:12.

please assure me and the public of their safety, given that Mr

:58:13.:58:16.

Pitchfork is being moved to an open prison?

:58:17.:58:20.

The honourable member will be aware that transferring prisoners from

:58:21.:58:29.

from one prison to another is done on a careful assessment of the

:58:30.:58:34.

risks. I am sure that would have taken place, but I am happy to

:58:35.:58:39.

discuss in detail if he wants to do so.

:58:40.:58:42.

Does the Secretary of State accept that the Human Rights Act is an

:58:43.:58:46.

indispensable part of the Good Friday Agreement, and whatever the

:58:47.:58:50.

plans for elsewhere, the Government is obligated to the retention of the

:58:51.:58:55.

Human Rights Act in Northern Ireland as a co-guarantor of the Good

:58:56.:58:59.

Agreement? The UK has led the world in human

:59:00.:59:05.

rights, from Magna Carta -- Magna Carta to habeas corpus. We are

:59:06.:59:08.

committed to bringing forward a British Bill of Rights to further

:59:09.:59:13.

build on these ancient protections. The Prime Minister has already met

:59:14.:59:16.

Nicola Sturgeon to make sure that the UK works together...

:59:17.:59:27.

And intensity meets... We intend to meet...

:59:28.:59:33.

We intend to meet, as the Secretary of State said, all those across the

:59:34.:59:36.

United Kingdom with concerns about it.

:59:37.:59:42.

Over the summer I visited the job club at the prison in my

:59:43.:59:47.

constituency, set about the behest of prisoners. Does the Minister

:59:48.:59:51.

agree that some of the best examples of rehabilitation are taking place

:59:52.:59:56.

in the category D prisons, and will he come and see that prison so we

:59:57.:00:00.

can learn across the wider prison estate about what really good

:00:01.:00:06.

rehabilitation can do for prisoners brutal life chances?

:00:07.:00:09.

Spreading best practice is essential, especially in

:00:10.:00:13.

rehabilitation. I welcome the chances is too busy constituency to

:00:14.:00:18.

see the excellent work being done by this job club?

:00:19.:00:29.

Half an hour ago, the Secretary of State for Justice said that the

:00:30.:00:32.

Human Rights Act will be replaced with a new British Bill of Rights

:00:33.:00:34.

including additional human rights. What additional human rights will

:00:35.:00:36.

there be? I said we will be enhancing human

:00:37.:00:38.

rights in this country and bring forward proposals in due course.

:00:39.:00:46.

We have seen a 41% increase in disability hate crime prosecutions.

:00:47.:00:49.

Will the Secretary of State keep this as a priority?

:00:50.:00:56.

I absolutely agree with that. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I received

:00:57.:01:01.

assurances from the Government that the post-implementation review of

:01:02.:01:05.

tribunal fees would be published late last year. Nine months on and

:01:06.:01:09.

thousands more discrimination cases and we are still waiting. Why is it

:01:10.:01:14.

taking so long for the Government to get a move on and publish the review

:01:15.:01:18.

and follow the Scottish Government to abolish tribunal fees are

:01:19.:01:23.

completely in Scotland, not Northern Ireland.

:01:24.:01:26.

As the honourable lady says, it is right that this review should be

:01:27.:01:31.

published, and it will be in due course, together with the reply to

:01:32.:01:35.

the select committee. And we welcome the report and the discussion about

:01:36.:01:39.

this, I would like to thank her for her question.

:01:40.:01:43.

Last but not least. Will the Minister confirm that this

:01:44.:01:46.

ministerial team will continue the good work of its predecessor team in

:01:47.:01:52.

looking at how prisoners' family size can be

:01:53.:02:20.

strengthened to disappoint some remaining colleagues, but demand has

:02:21.:02:23.

exceeded supply as usual. Urgent questions, Jamie Reid. ??F

:02:24.:02:25.

ORCEDWHITE to ask the Secretary of State if he will make a statement on

:02:26.:02:39.

safety at Sellafield? Ensuring high standards of nuclear safety and

:02:40.:02:42.

security will always ensuring high standards of nuclear safety and

:02:43.:02:47.

security will always be a priority. There is no safety risk to side

:02:48.:02:52.

stuff for the public, it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. Sela

:02:53.:02:56.

file -- Sellafield contains the legacy of the UK's earliest

:02:57.:03:01.

programmes, where nuclear waste was dumped with no plan to save

:03:02.:03:04.

disposal. The Government has been turning that around a priority.

:03:05.:03:08.

There is no safety risk to side Stav for the public, it would be wrong to

:03:09.:03:10.

suggest otherwise. Sela file -- Sellafield contains the legacy of

:03:11.:03:12.

the UK's earliest programmes, where

:03:13.:03:13.

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