:00:07. > :00:10.Welcome to BBC's Parliament live coverage of the House of Commons.
:00:11. > :00:13.The Leader of the House will announce the forthcoming business in
:00:14. > :00:17.the chamber and take questions from MPs. After that, there are two
:00:18. > :00:22.debates put forward by backbenchers. The first is on the UN international
:00:23. > :00:27.day for the elimb makes of violence against women and the second is
:00:28. > :00:31.about NHS England's cancer strategy. Remember to join me for a round-up
:00:32. > :00:36.of the day in both Houses of Parliament at 11pm tonight. But
:00:37. > :00:41.first we have questions to the Attorney-General's office.
:00:42. > :00:50.THE SPEAKER: Order. Order. Questions to the Attorney-General. Thank you
:00:51. > :00:53.mrrks speaker. We have the strongest legal framework in the world
:00:54. > :00:57.including the modern slavery Act which came into force in July of
:00:58. > :01:02.last year. The law office is supporting the Prime Minister's
:01:03. > :01:05.taskforce on modern slavery and the CPS continues to see a year-on-year
:01:06. > :01:09.increase in the number of prosecutions.
:01:10. > :01:12.THE SPEAKER: The honourable gentleman seeks to group the
:01:13. > :01:14.question with numbers six and eight. I make the application to group the
:01:15. > :01:23.questions in that order. THE SPEAKER: The honourable
:01:24. > :01:30.gentleman maybe learned, if not, it may only be a matter of time! Often
:01:31. > :01:34.these victims will not come forward because they're being controlled
:01:35. > :01:38.through acts of fear and violence. What more can my honourable friend
:01:39. > :01:42.do to support vulnerable women through the process? Well, my
:01:43. > :01:46.honourable friend is right to raise that issue and the CPS has been
:01:47. > :01:51.instrumental in developing special measures to help people with
:01:52. > :01:57.vulnerabilities to give evidence such as the pre-recording of
:01:58. > :02:04.cross-examination, ground rules hearings that are held ahead of the
:02:05. > :02:06.trials and evidence via remote link. All those measures help increase
:02:07. > :02:20.confidence that support will be there for victims.
:02:21. > :02:25.THE SPEAKER: I'm sure the honourable member was notified. Where is the
:02:26. > :02:27.honourable fella? Can he tell me more about what the Crown
:02:28. > :02:33.Prosecution Service is doing to prosecute this type of offence in
:02:34. > :02:37.the north-west of England? I note my honourable friend's interest as a
:02:38. > :02:41.north-west MP and I'm happy to tell her under the new modern day slavery
:02:42. > :02:46.offence eight charges were laid in the north-west region and eight
:02:47. > :02:50.offence in the mercy-Cheshire region, plus other offences under
:02:51. > :02:53.older legislation and last month, three people were convicted of
:02:54. > :02:57.modern day slavery and human trafficking in Liverpool and were
:02:58. > :03:03.sentenced to a total of seven years and three months imprisonment.
:03:04. > :03:06.Many of the prosecutions were the result of the European Arrest
:03:07. > :03:11.Warrant playing an important part. Would the minister ensure that with
:03:12. > :03:14.the Home Office, he makes sure that the European Arrest Warrant remains
:03:15. > :03:19.a useful tool, whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations? The
:03:20. > :03:22.honourable gentleman is quite right to note the huge importance of the
:03:23. > :03:31.European Arrest Warrant in streamlining the process. That
:03:32. > :03:36.together with other tools in order to encourage close co-operation are
:03:37. > :03:44.a vital means by which we can deal with what is an international crime.
:03:45. > :03:48.The modern slavery act review revealed although it is national
:03:49. > :03:51.Crown Prosecution Service policy that all trafficking and
:03:52. > :03:56.exploitation cases be referred to the complex case work unit and in
:03:57. > :04:01.practise the policy is not always followed. What measures are being
:04:02. > :04:07.put in place to reduce the number of cases that could slip through the
:04:08. > :04:13.cracks like this? I'm glad to say the review is forming a key part of
:04:14. > :04:16.the Prime Minister's taskforce. And at all levels, proper emphasis is
:04:17. > :04:20.placed upon the serious nature of this type of offending and let's not
:04:21. > :04:23.forget as well, there are other types of offence as well that
:04:24. > :04:27.encompass this behaviour that need to be dealt with as well. The
:04:28. > :04:29.complex unit is indeed having a key and increasingly important role in
:04:30. > :04:34.the prosecution of this type of crime.
:04:35. > :04:39.The Solicitor-General is responsible for the prosecution of trackers, not
:04:40. > :04:43.for the detection of them and nor their sentencing, but could he tell
:04:44. > :04:47.the House what are the main barriers to him in securing successful
:04:48. > :04:52.prosecutions? Well, the honourable gentleman is right to say these are
:04:53. > :04:58.challenging offences and I think the problem is Mr Speaker that often the
:04:59. > :05:01.victims of this type of crime take a while to realise that they are in
:05:02. > :05:03.that position. When they come forward they want a consistent
:05:04. > :05:07.approach from the authorities that give them support when they come to
:05:08. > :05:12.give evidence. That's the emphasis that the CPS and other agencies are
:05:13. > :05:14.playing and with that increasing support we are seeing the barriers
:05:15. > :05:18.being removed. THE SPEAKER: It is good to see the
:05:19. > :05:23.honourable gentleman back in his place. Mr Speaker, the review, the
:05:24. > :05:28.independent review commissioned by the Prime Minister that the
:05:29. > :05:32.Solicitor-General has referred to, expressed concern about the
:05:33. > :05:36.insufficient quality and quantity of intelligence at national, regional
:05:37. > :05:39.and international level which it is said hampers our operational
:05:40. > :05:43.response. What steps does the Solicitor-General think can be taken
:05:44. > :05:48.to ensure that our exit from the European Union does not further
:05:49. > :05:52.hamper our operational response? Well, can I firstly welcome the
:05:53. > :05:56.honourable gentleman back to his place at what is a challenging time
:05:57. > :06:00.for his family and we send him best wishes. He is right to talk about
:06:01. > :06:05.international working. The taskforce in the form of the NCA and the other
:06:06. > :06:11.agencies are placing heavy emphasis upon the need for that intelligence
:06:12. > :06:16.gathering to be improved. And as we know, when exit from the EU happens
:06:17. > :06:20.I firmly believe there will be mechanisms in place to ensure that
:06:21. > :06:24.that important work carries on unimpeded whether it is by way of
:06:25. > :06:27.mutual legal assistance or indeed some of the other mechanisms to
:06:28. > :06:33.which we've opted in to and which no doubt will be an important part of
:06:34. > :06:35.the negotiation in the months ahead. I'm grateful to the
:06:36. > :06:42.Solicitor-General for his kind words and good wishes to my family at this
:06:43. > :06:48.time. This Solicitor-General set out that our membership of the European
:06:49. > :06:53.Union gives us access to a European toolkit which the Director of Public
:06:54. > :06:59.Prosecutions referred to as vital. There is access to agencies such as
:07:00. > :07:04.for example euro just. Just specifically on Eurojust where we
:07:05. > :07:11.have one of the busiest desks, what will the Solicitor-General do to
:07:12. > :07:18.ensure we quickly negotiate a new relationship with Euro-just? Well,
:07:19. > :07:23.the honourable gentleman is right to emphasise other mechanisms. Eurojust
:07:24. > :07:27.can be another mechanism that's relevant. Clearly, they have to form
:07:28. > :07:29.a central part of any negotiation and be a priority for the
:07:30. > :07:35.negotiating team when it comes to those details. The CPS is well aware
:07:36. > :07:39.of this issue and has been raising it and the law offices will, of
:07:40. > :07:42.course play their part in raising these important issues too. Number
:07:43. > :07:48.two, Mr Speaker. THE SPEAKER: Indeed. Mr Speaker,
:07:49. > :07:57.we're committed to tackling hate crime in any form across forgive me,
:07:58. > :08:01.can I apply for this question to be grouped with questions five and
:08:02. > :08:10.seven. So the numbering has changed. Forgive me. As I was saying Mr
:08:11. > :08:14.Speaker, the cross Government hate group action group, focuses on hate
:08:15. > :08:20.crime and the increasing of reporting and then suring that all
:08:21. > :08:31.criminal justice partners deliver outcomes for victims.
:08:32. > :08:37.His speciality is words dash rather than numbers, dash! I was concerned
:08:38. > :08:41.about the spike in the number of racial and religious aggravated
:08:42. > :08:44.offences after the referendum. Can my honourable and learned friend
:08:45. > :08:49.tell the House whether the trend has continued in recent months? Well, my
:08:50. > :08:53.honourable friend is right to raise this issue because I think we were
:08:54. > :09:00.all concerned with the spike that clearly occurred after the
:09:01. > :09:03.referendum. The total number of racial and religiously aggravated
:09:04. > :09:06.offences being reported in July was 41% higher than in the previous
:09:07. > :09:12.year, but I'm happy to report that the number of that type of reported
:09:13. > :09:15.offence has now declined and are at similar levels to before the
:09:16. > :09:21.referendum. Would my honourable friend look
:09:22. > :09:25.carefully at the law relating to abusive and offensive online posts.
:09:26. > :09:29.Often when I look at these remarks, particularly when someone has died,
:09:30. > :09:34.it is quite incredible that newspapers seem to host these posts
:09:35. > :09:38.when I think these cowards should have their names and addresses
:09:39. > :09:45.printed along with the offensive posts. My honourable friend raises a
:09:46. > :09:50.proper point of increasing concern. Can assure him that anonymity
:09:51. > :09:54.perceived or real is not an escape route for perpetrators. The use of
:09:55. > :09:58.false online profiles and websites still means Mr Speaker, they are
:09:59. > :10:01.traceable and these people can and will be pursued just like the
:10:02. > :10:05.appalling individual who only this week was convicted of offences
:10:06. > :10:10.arising from a racist campaign against the honourable member for
:10:11. > :10:16.Liverpool. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm grateful
:10:17. > :10:21.for my honourable friend's answer. Can he say more specifically what
:10:22. > :10:26.the Government are doing to tackle hate crime against those with
:10:27. > :10:31.learning disabilities and autism? Well, I'm grateful to my honourable
:10:32. > :10:35.friend for raising an issue which has been of consistent importance to
:10:36. > :10:40.me since my appointment to this office. I'm glad to note there has
:10:41. > :10:42.been a rise of 44% in the number of prosecution for disability hate
:10:43. > :10:48.crime generally in the last yearment when it comes to learning disability
:10:49. > :10:53.and autism I'm a strong supporter of local advocacy groups which will
:10:54. > :10:57.often be the first port of call when a complaint is made by a person with
:10:58. > :10:58.an impairment. Where the police work with these groups, more people with
:10:59. > :11:01.a learning difficulty will come a learning difficulty will come
:11:02. > :11:08.forward and I want to see this good practise spread much further.
:11:09. > :11:14.On the ground, in North Wales, the number of prosecutions generally is
:11:15. > :11:19.falling and for that reason, how can we ensure the public perceptions are
:11:20. > :11:23.reflected in prosecuting policy so that more individuals who commit
:11:24. > :11:28.crime get taken to court and dealt with by the magistrates who tell me
:11:29. > :11:32.that their courts are empty? Well, I'm grateful to the honourable
:11:33. > :11:34.gentleman. I'm following the position very carefully in all parts
:11:35. > :11:38.of England and Wales and he's right to say that there are some areas
:11:39. > :11:43.like his where there hasn't been the rise that we have seen in others. I
:11:44. > :11:46.think what we have to do is further encourage consistency, the training
:11:47. > :11:50.that's been rolled out in recent months to all the CPS areas, I think
:11:51. > :11:55.needs to bed in and I think with that approach we will see a rise
:11:56. > :11:58.across-the-board in not just the prosecution of these offences, but
:11:59. > :12:02.the confidence of victims to come forward.
:12:03. > :12:08.Would the Attorney-General agree that the prosecution of hate crimes
:12:09. > :12:12.has helped when the victim feels supported enough to give evidence
:12:13. > :12:17.and more training must be provided by the teams that deal with hate
:12:18. > :12:21.crimes UK-wide to ensure that all possible support is afforded to
:12:22. > :12:27.victims and their families? The honourable gentleman knows from his
:12:28. > :12:31.experience in Northern Ireland, the Leonard Cheshire charity have an
:12:32. > :12:35.excellent scheme in place to support victims. It echos the point I was
:12:36. > :12:36.making earlier for the need for best practise to be spread to give better
:12:37. > :12:49.support. I'm sure he would agree that
:12:50. > :12:53.regional rates are accepted, so would he set out how the crime would
:12:54. > :13:00.be dealt with and it would not depend on where a person lives. He
:13:01. > :13:04.is right to hear to need the points that have been made. Can I reassure
:13:05. > :13:09.him that the training that is being provided applies to all regions of
:13:10. > :13:12.the CPS. It's been done on a national basis and that means that
:13:13. > :13:17.in whichever part of the country, there should be the same awareness
:13:18. > :13:22.and understanding, but the sensitivities should apply when it
:13:23. > :13:26.comes to disability hate crime. We need to look at the person beyond
:13:27. > :13:34.the disability and understand that their advice has to be heard. I
:13:35. > :13:39.don't think this question is cooked with any other, but I'm willing to
:13:40. > :13:47.be corrected. If I'm right, can I say to him that the offence of
:13:48. > :13:50.failing to prevent bribery under the Bribery Act has incentivised good
:13:51. > :13:53.governors within companies. The new offence of failing to prevent tax
:13:54. > :13:58.evasion is included in the criminal finance is Bill going through
:13:59. > :14:01.Parliament at the moment, and a call for evidence will be published
:14:02. > :14:08.shortly to explore the options for further reform. I am grateful for
:14:09. > :14:15.the answer. He has had a busy week. I am sure he is aware there is real
:14:16. > :14:19.concern that it has become much harder to prosecute senior directors
:14:20. > :14:23.of companies that have been involved in serious wrongdoings. When he gets
:14:24. > :14:26.into the consultation, perhaps he will see when that will be antique
:14:27. > :14:34.look at other regimes to see how they perform better than us. It is
:14:35. > :14:37.no disrespect to my colleague to see he's not the most intimidating
:14:38. > :14:41.tribunal I have addressed this week. He is right that we should look at
:14:42. > :14:45.the examples abroad as well as domestic practice to make sure we
:14:46. > :14:50.are doing all we can to deal with corporate criminal offending. We
:14:51. > :14:54.must address the issue that if it is easy or easier to prosecute those in
:14:55. > :14:58.charge of small companies and those in charge of large companies,
:14:59. > :15:05.because of the complexity of their management structures, that cannot
:15:06. > :15:10.be right. During the passage of the Criminal Finance Is Bill, the
:15:11. > :15:15.government has so far refused to extend the corporate crown beyond
:15:16. > :15:25.tax evasion. Does the Attorney General agree that companies should
:15:26. > :15:29.only be criminally liable for tax evasion. Because of the questions
:15:30. > :15:33.she has asked, that is why we're asking for evidence on the subject
:15:34. > :15:36.and then we will conduct consultation to see whether there is
:15:37. > :15:42.a key is to extend the sort of failure to prevent offences she is
:15:43. > :15:46.describing beyond bribery, when it currently exists, and tax evasion,
:15:47. > :15:51.where it will shortly be, when Parliament passes the Bill. I think
:15:52. > :15:55.that is an argument to say we should look at this, because there are
:15:56. > :15:58.other types of offending and it would be sensible to consider
:15:59. > :15:59.whether a failure to prevent an offence would be suitable to deal
:16:00. > :16:16.with that. Would my right honourable friend
:16:17. > :16:23.also agree that we should be looking out to other matters, one is the
:16:24. > :16:28.question is the issue of asset freezing for those involved in
:16:29. > :16:32.corruption and secondly, to enforce that, we must maintain the operation
:16:33. > :16:42.independence of the Serious Fraud Office. I think it is worth looking
:16:43. > :16:47.at this and I think there are many people who believe there are gaps in
:16:48. > :16:51.the law here. But it is also important to beat sure we take full
:16:52. > :16:54.account of concerns expressed about the burdens placed on businesses of
:16:55. > :17:00.all kinds if we get that balance wrong. But I think he's right that
:17:01. > :17:04.we should look at. In relation to asset freezing assets seizure, he is
:17:05. > :17:07.right but if we're going to successfully prosecuted and
:17:08. > :17:11.convicted or is engaged in criminal activity, we must also make sure we
:17:12. > :17:22.can recover assets when that is appropriate, so we will look at that
:17:23. > :17:25.in the process we are engaged in. The United Kingdom has a proud
:17:26. > :17:29.tradition for respect of human rights, which long predates the EU
:17:30. > :17:36.and which will continue following our withdrawal from it. Can the
:17:37. > :17:40.Attorney General tell the house what existing human rights enjoyed by UK
:17:41. > :17:47.citizens under EU directives could not or should not be enshrined in UK
:17:48. > :17:52.law, if or when we leave the EU. As I hope I made clear in my first
:17:53. > :17:55.answer, I don't believe human rights protection in this country are
:17:56. > :17:59.dependent on EU law, and we will certainly look, in the course of the
:18:00. > :18:05.great repeal Bill and other measures, which this house will have
:18:06. > :18:09.to consider, how we transfer those obligations currently under EU law
:18:10. > :18:13.into domestic law, where the house believes that is appropriate to do.
:18:14. > :18:17.I maintain the view that we will continue to protect human rights in
:18:18. > :18:21.this country, and more than that, we will continue to be leading
:18:22. > :18:27.advocates of human rights around the world. Is that the government policy
:18:28. > :18:37.that we will introduce a separate bill of rights for British law? I
:18:38. > :18:41.remain of the view that human rights law needs reform. We are in full
:18:42. > :18:45.agreement that we have no quarrel with the content of the European
:18:46. > :18:49.Convention on human rights, it is the way that document is apply that
:18:50. > :18:53.gives us difficulty. The government is committed to do something about
:18:54. > :18:57.that. You may have noticed we have a few other things are played at the
:18:58. > :19:02.moment and we will be to resolve those before we resolve the matter
:19:03. > :19:09.he refers to. What passions can the minister give, once lead to exit the
:19:10. > :19:14.EU and become once again an emancipated, liberated nation state
:19:15. > :19:19.on the stage of the worlds, that we will maintain that pride, heritage
:19:20. > :19:24.and tradition in the United Kingdom of defending individual rights
:19:25. > :19:28.within this United Kingdom? I entirely share his confidence. I
:19:29. > :19:32.think we will certainly do that. We always have and we always will and
:19:33. > :19:38.we will do it in all parts of the United Kingdom. As he knows, we will
:19:39. > :19:43.make sure that in the process of exiting the UK, all parts of the UK
:19:44. > :19:49.are engaged in that process. Does he agree with me that when referring to
:19:50. > :19:53.our exit from the EU, it is important to distinguish between
:19:54. > :19:56.that and the convention that the government policy continues to be,
:19:57. > :20:00.that we should remain in the European Convention and observe
:20:01. > :20:04.human rights as before. He is right, those things are distinct. It is our
:20:05. > :20:12.exit from the EU that the public have confirmed in a referendum. But
:20:13. > :20:16.of course, our commitment to human rights will be maintained, and it
:20:17. > :20:23.will be maintained not just domestically, but also abroad.
:20:24. > :20:33.Questions to the Minister for women and equality is. Question number
:20:34. > :20:38.one, Mr Speaker. The Minister for women and equality is, Justine
:20:39. > :20:41.Greening. Careers guidance should help all young people to get the
:20:42. > :20:47.inspiration and advice and guidance they need for success in working
:20:48. > :20:51.life. We want to see schools getting impartial guidance, but also
:20:52. > :20:54.high-quality guidance. That's why we're investing ?90 million over
:20:55. > :21:02.this Parliament to improve careers provision for young people. She is
:21:03. > :21:06.right, good quality career advice is essential. Neither further plans for
:21:07. > :21:10.the government to remove barriers from women when they progress with
:21:11. > :21:15.their careers, particularly when they have young children? He is
:21:16. > :21:20.absolutely right to highlight this. When we look in detail at the gender
:21:21. > :21:21.pay gap, it is often starting a family that is