Browse content similar to 07/09/2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Order, order. | 0:00:03 | 0:00:07 | |
Questions to the Secretary of State for Justice. | 0:00:07 | 0:00:09 | |
Mr Dominic Raab. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:11 | |
Number one. | 0:00:11 | 0:00:18 | |
First of all, I would like to pay tribute to the work done | 0:00:18 | 0:00:22 | |
by my honourable friend on human rights reform as a minister | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
in this department. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:26 | |
He is a great champion of liberty. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:35 | |
This Government is committed to scrapping the Human Rights Act | 0:00:35 | 0:00:37 | |
and introducing a British Bill of Rights. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:39 | |
Dominic Raab. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:40 | |
Thank you, Mr Speaker. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:41 | |
At the outset, it is an honour to be the first honourable member | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
to welcome the new Justice Secretary and the new front bench team | 0:00:45 | 0:00:48 | |
to their posts. | 0:00:48 | 0:00:53 | |
I wish them every success. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:54 | |
Can I, personally, from experience, assure her that being a lawyer | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
is of very limited value in her departments, no offence | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
to the Minister of State! | 0:01:00 | 0:01:07 | |
Britain's decision to leave the EU will remove the jurisdiction | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
of the Luxembourg court, probably the biggest obstacle | 0:01:10 | 0:01:12 | |
to delivering a Bill of Rights. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
Can I welcome her in continuing with this reform and ask | 0:01:14 | 0:01:17 | |
the government to provide consultation as soon as possible? | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
I thank my honourable friend for his question. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
This is an important reform, we need to get it right. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:24 | |
We will be introducing proposals in due course, | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
we will deliver on this manifesto commitment. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:35 | |
Which convention rights does the Justice Secretary propose | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
to leave out of the Bill of Rights? | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
I remember with fondness our time together on the Justice select | 0:01:43 | 0:01:46 | |
committee, where he had many good thoughts to put | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
forward at that time. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:54 | |
We will be putting out our proposals in due course that will discuss this | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
issue in detail. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:01 | |
One of the important points is that we want to see the ultimate | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
arbiter of those rights be the Supreme Court of | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
the United Kingdom. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:11 | |
Charlie Elphicke. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
Does the Secretary of State agree with me that one of the problems | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
with the current setup is the code includes many reservations | 0:02:16 | 0:02:19 | |
and qualifications which the European Court does not embrace, | 0:02:19 | 0:02:21 | |
and a British Bill of Rights could ensure that there is proper | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
balance and the interest of justice can be served? | 0:02:25 | 0:02:33 | |
My honourable friend makes a very good point, that is absolutely | 0:02:33 | 0:02:36 | |
the reason that we want to pursue a British Bill of Rights | 0:02:36 | 0:02:39 | |
that'll put that in place. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:46 | |
Alistair Carmichael. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:47 | |
If we are to have the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter, does this | 0:02:47 | 0:02:50 | |
mean that if the Lord Chancellor wants to withdraw from | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
the European Convention? | 0:02:53 | 0:02:58 | |
The Prime Minister has been very clear that leaving the easy HR | 0:02:58 | 0:03:02 | |
is not something that we will pursue. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:03 | |
Julian Brazier. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:10 | |
Could I too welcome my right honourable friend to her post, | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
and her determination to proceed with a British Bill of Rights? | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
Could I urge her to remember that the cornerstone of the rule | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
of law in this country has always been the sovereignty of Parliament, | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
could I urge her not to listen to those who argue that somehow | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
or other getting rid of an act which came 40 years after we had | 0:03:26 | 0:03:29 | |
signed up to the European Convention on human rights somehow or other | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
undermines our position within the treaty? | 0:03:33 | 0:03:47 | |
He is absolutely right, human rights were not invented | 0:03:47 | 0:03:49 | |
in 1998 with the Human Rights Act. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
We have a strong record of the country of human rights | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
dating back to Magna Carta. | 0:03:54 | 0:04:06 | |
The British Bill of Rights is going to be the next step | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
in enshrining those rights in our laws. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:11 | |
May I welcome the Secretary of State to her new role and say that well, | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
of course it is not a prerequisite for her role to be a lawyer, | 0:04:15 | 0:04:19 | |
she will no doubt wish to listen carefully to any legal advice | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
she receives in order... | 0:04:22 | 0:04:23 | |
Relation to any proposals to reform the law. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:25 | |
There was almost universal opposition to the repeal | 0:04:25 | 0:04:27 | |
of the Human Rights Act in Scotland, reflected in the Scottish parliament | 0:04:27 | 0:04:31 | |
and across Scottish Civic Society. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:37 | |
On the 11th of August I wrote to the Government of Britain seeking | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
clarification on the plans of the so-called reform | 0:04:41 | 0:04:43 | |
to the Human Rights Act. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:44 | |
I have yet to receive a substantive response. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:46 | |
At what stage in her plans with the Secretary of State seek | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
to consult with the Scottish Government, and can she confirmed | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
that she will listen to and respect the answer? | 0:04:52 | 0:04:55 | |
I thank her for her question. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:56 | |
I have already had a number of legal meetings on this issue and I am sure | 0:04:56 | 0:05:01 | |
I will enjoy working with the legal profession in this role. | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
The Prime Minister has already had a very good meeting | 0:05:04 | 0:05:06 | |
with the First Minister of Scotland, I will be meeting the Scottish | 0:05:06 | 0:05:10 | |
justice minister shortly to discuss a number of issues. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:18 | |
Order, I apologise, I had not realised that the honourable | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
and Leonard lady wanted a second bite of herself. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:24 | |
LAUGHTER I was rather hoping to have the second bite | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
of Her Majesty's Government. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
I thank the Secretary of State for her early response. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:38 | |
If she has been having legal meetings about the Human Rights Act | 0:05:38 | 0:05:42 | |
she would have been advised that human rights are not a reserved | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
matter, therefore the Scottish Parliament must be consulted | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
regarding any legislation with regard to human rights. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
During the independence rep around, Scotland was told it was an equal | 0:05:50 | 0:05:53 | |
partner in this union. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:54 | |
Did she appreciate that to repeal the Human Rights Act across the UK | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
would fly in the face of that promise and exacerbate | 0:05:58 | 0:06:00 | |
the democratic deficit that already exists in Scotland, | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
where a Tory Government we did not vote for is planning to take us out | 0:06:03 | 0:06:07 | |
of the European Union against our will? | 0:06:07 | 0:06:20 | |
I thank her for her question. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
I would point out that this was in the Conservative Party | 0:06:22 | 0:06:25 | |
manifesto, we secured a majority at the general election. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
As I said, I will be in touch with the Scottish justice minister | 0:06:27 | 0:06:31 | |
and look forward to talking to him on the subject. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
Richard Bergen. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:34 | |
Thank you again, Mr Speaker. | 0:06:34 | 0:06:36 | |
I would like to welcome the Secretary of State | 0:06:36 | 0:06:38 | |
to her new role. | 0:06:38 | 0:06:54 | |
It is good to see a Leeds person at both dispatch boxes. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
Like me, I understand that she comes from good left-wing Leeds stock, | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
I look forward to our exchanges. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
In her swearing-in ceremony, the Justice Secretary quoted | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
with approval the late Lord Bingham. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
On the Human Rights Act, Lord Bingham asked in 2009, | 0:07:06 | 0:07:08 | |
which of these rights, I asked, would you wish to discard? | 0:07:08 | 0:07:11 | |
And went on to say there may be those who would like to live | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
in a country where these rights are not protected, | 0:07:15 | 0:07:18 | |
but I am not of their number. | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
To get the Secretary of State another chance, because she failed | 0:07:21 | 0:07:24 | |
to answer the question from my honourable friend the member | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
for Kingston-upon-Hull earlier, which of these rights did | 0:07:27 | 0:07:29 | |
she wish to discard? | 0:07:29 | 0:07:30 | |
I also welcome the honourable gentleman to the dispatch box, | 0:07:30 | 0:07:33 | |
it is great to have somebody who is also from Leeds facing me. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:37 | |
And to highlight the error of my ways after growing up | 0:07:37 | 0:07:40 | |
in a left-wing household in that great city. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:47 | |
LAUGHTER All I can say is I believe that everyone is capable of reform, | 0:07:47 | 0:07:51 | |
even those, Mr Speaker, on the benches opposite. | 0:07:51 | 0:07:53 | |
I have not given up hope yet on the Shadow Secretary of State | 0:07:53 | 0:07:57 | |
for Health adjusters. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:09 | |
The whole purpose of the Bill of Rights is to enhance human | 0:08:09 | 0:08:13 | |
rights in this country. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:14 | |
We have leading human rights since Magna Carta, | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
the Bill of Rights published in Wales in 1689, and we will | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
continue to lead the world in human rights. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
Thank you very much to the Secretary of State for that response. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
But we were very clear that we will replace | 0:08:26 | 0:08:28 | |
the Human Rights Act, which is not working for British | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
people, with a British Bill of Rights. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:41 | |
It gives the ultimate power to citizens in this country. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:43 | |
These were the words of the Secretary of State | 0:08:43 | 0:08:46 | |
on the today programme in May 20 15. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
Given that and the answer she has just given, can she explain | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
to the house why she wants to rob the people of Britain | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
of their rights, and will she admits that talk of a so-called bill | 0:08:54 | 0:08:58 | |
of rights is simply posturing and making concessions to the hard | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
right of the Conservative Party? | 0:09:01 | 0:09:09 | |
Human rights were not invented in 1998 with the Human Rights Act. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:12 | |
There are major issues with the Human Rights Act. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:16 | |
We need to move forward, had a British Bill of Rights that | 0:09:16 | 0:09:19 | |
enshrines our ancient liberties. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:26 | |
We do now need to make progress, as there are lots of questions, | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
and progress has been slow so far. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:31 | |
Can we be speeded up by Mr John Mann? | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
Hate crime is abhorrent and has no place in society, | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
the Government published its plan to tackle hate crime, | 0:09:39 | 0:09:41 | |
Action Against Hate, in July 20 16. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:54 | |
The Government believes that the enforcement of criminal | 0:09:54 | 0:09:56 | |
legislation has an important role in tackling online hate, | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
Willie deterrence and prevention which needs a broader response | 0:09:58 | 0:10:01 | |
and effective management from the Internet industry. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
Last time I asked the Secretary of State question she invited me to | 0:10:03 | 0:10:06 | |
join her on a delegation to China. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:14 | |
May I reciprocate and invite the front bench to come to Bassetlaw | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
May I reciprocate and invite the front bench to come to Bassetlaw | 0:10:16 | 0:10:20 | |
today in the Jubilee room, hosted by myself and the member for Newark? | 0:10:20 | 0:10:24 | |
True Vision, the Internet reporting organisation based in her officers, | 0:10:24 | 0:10:27 | |
is the pride and joy of her department and the envy | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
of every other Government in the world. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:32 | |
Is she going to allow it to disappear into some other | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
government departments, or will she keep it | 0:10:34 | 0:10:37 | |
in her department? | 0:10:37 | 0:10:51 | |
I thank him for his characteristically delivered | 0:10:51 | 0:10:53 | |
question. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:53 | |
The Secretary of State, I gather, recently wrote to him | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
on this matter. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:57 | |
The cross government hate crime programme is highly regarded by this | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
government, and internationally. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:01 | |
I am committed to ensuring that this important work continues. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
I would like to welcome my honourable friend. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:06 | |
The government was right to make posting revenge porn online crime. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
Figures released today show that have been 200 prosecutions, | 0:11:09 | 0:11:11 | |
yet more than 1000 reported cases of revenge pornography | 0:11:11 | 0:11:13 | |
reported to the police. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:22 | |
Does the Minister agree with me that as with other sex-related crimes, | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
perhaps anonymity for victims needs to be carefully considered | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
in these cases? | 0:11:28 | 0:11:28 | |
I thank my honourable friend for this question and the work | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
she and the select committee do in this area, it is a terrible abuse | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
of trust which can leave victims feeling the bated and degraded. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:40 | |
By making it a specific offence can offence we've sent clear message | 0:11:40 | 0:11:43 | |
this will not be tolerated, with regard to anonymity I'm | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
interested in what she's saying she would write me on that issue | 0:11:46 | 0:11:49 | |
I will consider it. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:53 | |
Can I welcome the Minister to his post and ask if he has seen | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
the comments the Director of Public Prosecutions | 0:11:57 | 0:11:59 | |
this morning that social media is one of the driving forces behind | 0:11:59 | 0:12:02 | |
the record high in recorded crimes, violent crimes against women | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
and girls, and welcomed what he said about needing a broader response | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
to these issues. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:14 | |
Can he tell me what he plans to do to safeguard the many specialist | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
services that exist to support women who are suffering online | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
harassment and abuse, many of which are suffering | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
from funding cuts? | 0:12:23 | 0:12:32 | |
As I already stated, this crime is deplorable. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:34 | |
I suspect it has always happened and social media has facilitated it | 0:12:34 | 0:12:37 | |
and we are now detecting a greater level of crime of this kind. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
I am determined to maintain services that support women and men | 0:12:41 | 0:12:44 | |
who are subjected to this crime and will continue to keep a close | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
eye on that. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
What action is the Government taking to combat online anti-Semitic hate | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
crime emanating from extremist groups on campus? | 0:12:52 | 0:13:00 | |
Like revenge porn, these are all pulling crimes, | 0:13:00 | 0:13:02 | |
more easily committed by the internet and use of anonymity | 0:13:02 | 0:13:05 | |
with specifically regards to anti-Semitism, thanks | 0:13:05 | 0:13:06 | |
to the fantastic work for the member for Bassetlaw and his all-party | 0:13:06 | 0:13:09 | |
group, the Government has made significant advances | 0:13:09 | 0:13:11 | |
and I will consider her comments, particularly on campus. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:23 | |
In the last year, assaults have risen by 31% and those on staff | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
in our prisons have risen by 40%. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
This is totally an acceptable and I'm determined to tackle it. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:39 | |
Reforming prisons will only be possible if they are made safer | 0:13:39 | 0:13:42 | |
places for staff and offenders alike. | 0:13:42 | 0:13:55 | |
The section of state makes clear prisons safety continues | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
to deteriorate and is a major problem putting prisoners | 0:13:58 | 0:14:03 | |
and staff at risk, but the major issue that must be tackled | 0:14:03 | 0:14:07 | |
is the retention of staff. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:08 | |
Can she set out what she will do to make this a priority and how | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
she will succeed her predecessors have failed? | 0:14:12 | 0:14:14 | |
I agree with the honourable lady that retention of staff | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
is a very important issue. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:18 | |
I've been to a number of prisons and seen how brave, fearless | 0:14:18 | 0:14:24 | |
and hardworking our prison officers are, they are a vital in turning | 0:14:24 | 0:14:29 | |
around offenders and getting them the education and skills they need | 0:14:29 | 0:14:32 | |
to succeed outside and I'm determined to support | 0:14:32 | 0:14:34 | |
them and work with them. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
Over the coming months, I will lay out more detailed plans. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:42 | |
May I warmly welcome the secretary of state and her team | 0:14:42 | 0:14:50 | |
to their posts, lawyers do sometimes have their uses. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:55 | |
Her predecessor made prison reform a centrepiece of the agenda, | 0:14:55 | 0:14:58 | |
he rightly described the deterioration in safety | 0:14:58 | 0:14:59 | |
and prisons as terrible. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:02 | |
The figures have now got worse, he committed to an action plan | 0:15:02 | 0:15:05 | |
to tackle violence in our prisons. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:07 | |
Will she reaffirm that? | 0:15:07 | 0:15:12 | |
Can she tell us what specific steps will be taken to deal | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
with what is a ticking time bomb that we have | 0:15:15 | 0:15:18 | |
in our criminal justice system? | 0:15:18 | 0:15:25 | |
Because nothing else works if that isn't right. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:27 | |
Can I first say how pleased I've been to be able to meet the chairman | 0:15:27 | 0:15:29 | |
of the select committee, I take the advice of all my lawyers, | 0:15:35 | 0:15:42 | |
but particularly the chairman of the select committee, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:48 | |
extremely seriously. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
This is a critical issue that faces our prisons. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:56 | |
We cannot have reform in our prisons if we don't have safe prisons | 0:15:56 | 0:15:59 | |
for people to work in. | 0:15:59 | 0:16:01 | |
These things go hand-in-hand and I'm committed to an agenda | 0:16:01 | 0:16:03 | |
of making our prisons safe and places of reform, | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
I will lay out my plan is very shortly on this issue and I look | 0:16:06 | 0:16:10 | |
forward to discussing it more with the select committee tomorrow. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
Will the Secretary of State look again at statements that were made | 0:16:12 | 0:16:16 | |
by her department recently around numbers of prison officers, | 0:16:16 | 0:16:18 | |
her department claims the number has increased, it hasn't | 0:16:18 | 0:16:24 | |
and when will she look again because I believe they have not | 0:16:24 | 0:16:34 | |
taken into account staff being regretted | 0:16:34 | 0:16:35 | |
or the number of hours actually work when she examines the number | 0:16:35 | 0:16:38 | |
of officers in the system. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
I thank the honourable lady for her question, I will of course | 0:16:40 | 0:16:43 | |
look at those numbers in detail and I'm looking at them just now. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:47 | |
What I would say as well as the number of staff, | 0:16:47 | 0:16:49 | |
it is important how staff are deployed and how staff | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
are trained and the Paras the governors have to be able to get | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
the best out of the staff working in the prisons. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:58 | |
I agree, staff are crucial to make our prisons work well. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:01 | |
One of the causes of lack of safety and prisons has been | 0:17:01 | 0:17:05 | |
psychoactive substances, with the secretary agree with me | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
that the ban on possession of the substances in prison should | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
improve the safety of other prisoners and prison officers | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
if that ban is properly enforced? | 0:17:12 | 0:17:15 | |
My honourable friend is right, they have, MPS have been a major | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
issue in our prisons. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
I was pleased when I visited HMP Norwich last week to see | 0:17:23 | 0:17:39 | |
they are using the new legislation to tackle that issue. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:54 | |
They search and catch people out and they are succeeding in reducing | 0:17:54 | 0:18:00 | |
the amount of usage of that drug already. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:11 | |
I would like more of this type of programme happening more | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
across our prison estate. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:15 | |
Forgive me, I think the summer recess has taken its toll, I am | 0:18:15 | 0:18:19 | |
determined to ensure our prisons are places of safety and reform, | 0:18:19 | 0:18:21 | |
we need to help get offenders of drugs, improve their education | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
and get the work skills they need so they are less likely | 0:18:24 | 0:18:28 | |
to reoffend when they come out. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:29 | |
Could she answer this question, does she see a connection | 0:18:29 | 0:18:32 | |
between the long-term decline in prison officer numbers down 30% | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
between 2010 and 2013 and they are going down again | 0:18:35 | 0:18:37 | |
and this massive increase on assaults on staff, | 0:18:37 | 0:18:40 | |
90% up on the last month? | 0:18:40 | 0:18:41 | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his question, there are many | 0:18:41 | 0:18:44 | |
factors driving prison violence and self harm, I am looking | 0:18:44 | 0:18:55 | |
I am looking at the evidence about what will work | 0:18:55 | 0:18:57 | |
and what steps we can take, but I'm | 0:18:57 | 0:18:59 | |
determined to tackle this and I'm very clear the current levels of | 0:18:59 | 0:19:03 | |
violence we have are unacceptable. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:04 | |
Can I warmly congratulate the secretary of state | 0:19:04 | 0:19:06 | |
and the new ministerial team on their appointment, | 0:19:06 | 0:19:08 | |
of course we need more prison officers but can of these extra | 0:19:08 | 0:19:11 | |
of state and their ministers to look at greater use | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
of prisoners as mentors. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
Wandsworth is leading the way with 50 mentors teaching | 0:19:19 | 0:19:21 | |
education, but we can also do this in terms of both employment | 0:19:21 | 0:19:24 | |
for therapeutic use and to cut down the use of drugs. | 0:19:24 | 0:19:33 | |
I referred to that my honourable friend and as group to prison | 0:19:33 | 0:19:43 | |
minister who's done tremendous work and we're learning from the work | 0:19:43 | 0:19:46 | |
he carried out in the Department. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:47 | |
He makes an important point and I think we need to look | 0:19:47 | 0:19:51 | |
at overall prison culture in some of our best prisons, | 0:19:51 | 0:19:53 | |
we do have exemplary work going on such as mentoring | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
and we have to make sure that is happening | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
across our prison estate. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:00 | |
The Secretary of State might be aware the head of the prison service | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
in Northern Ireland recently stepped down, attacks on prison staff | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
are on the rise, can she ensure her department | 0:20:06 | 0:20:08 | |
is engaging actively with the Department of Justice | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
in Northern Ireland to see what lessons can be learned | 0:20:11 | 0:20:13 | |
and to try and improve safety and prisons in Northern Ireland? | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his question, | 0:20:16 | 0:20:18 | |
I have been in touch with the Justice minister | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
in Northern Ireland and I look forward to speaking | 0:20:21 | 0:20:23 | |
to her in due course. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:28 | |
May I congratulate the secretary of state on her appointment, | 0:20:28 | 0:20:31 | |
is part of the problem that we have so many Victorian prisons? | 0:20:31 | 0:20:34 | |
The honourable gentleman is right. | 0:20:34 | 0:20:36 | |
We have a big issue with prisons that are out of date and not | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
fit for purpose. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:52 | |
It makes it more difficult for our excellent governors | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
and officers to manage well. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:55 | |
I'm pleased to say this summer we were able to close | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
Holloway prison. | 0:20:58 | 0:20:59 | |
We have our ?1.3 billion building programme and what I want to see his | 0:20:59 | 0:21:20 | |
new modern prison built, so that we can see prisoners get | 0:21:20 | 0:21:29 | |
the education and work then as required | 0:21:29 | 0:21:31 | |
in outside life. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:32 | |
As McGeeney to succeed. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:33 | |
And close down some of our most dilapidated and outdated prisons. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:36 | |
It is crucial that victims of crime are supported as effectively | 0:21:36 | 0:21:39 | |
as possible, the victims called was revised in 2015, victims of all, | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
no fences after entitled to support from a wide range of organisation | 0:21:42 | 0:21:45 | |
as well as criminal justice agencies. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
The reforms the court will improve services for victims | 0:21:48 | 0:21:50 | |
and their families got ensemble to give evidence | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
remotely and digitally. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:53 | |
Over 23,000 individual crimes reported in Enfield over the past 12 | 0:21:53 | 0:21:56 | |
months, for far too long the victims of these crimes have been forgotten | 0:21:56 | 0:22:00 | |
and ignored by the criminal justice system. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
Given that the victims commissioner support the introduction of a long | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
for victims of crime, when will the Government | 0:22:05 | 0:22:07 | |
fulfil its election manifesto commitment to bring forward | 0:22:07 | 0:22:09 | |
legislation on the issue? | 0:22:09 | 0:22:10 | |
I thank the honourable lady for her question. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:13 | |
We want to make sure all vulnerable and intimidated witnesses can give | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
the best evidence in court and feel less anxious, | 0:22:16 | 0:22:18 | |
we are committed to making sure victims of crime get the support | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
they need. | 0:22:21 | 0:22:22 | |
We have protected the overall level of funding | 0:22:22 | 0:22:24 | |
for victims across the spending review period and have announced | 0:22:24 | 0:22:30 | |
funding of over 95 million pounds in 2016 to find | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
critical support services. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:39 | |
Victims of crime want to see the perpetrators of that | 0:22:39 | 0:22:41 | |
crime properly punished. | 0:22:41 | 0:22:42 | |
Is the minister happy that prisoners are automatically released halfway | 0:22:42 | 0:22:46 | |
through their prison sentence, no matter how disruptive | 0:22:46 | 0:22:53 | |
they are or much how much of a threat they still pose, | 0:22:53 | 0:23:01 | |
or does he agree that prisoners should serve the sentence | 0:23:01 | 0:23:04 | |
as was handed down by the courts in full? | 0:23:04 | 0:23:09 | |
I thank my honourable friend for his question. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:11 | |
The purpose of justice and the justice system must be | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
the primary goal to reduce reoffending. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:15 | |
If somebody in prison has been assessed and is deemed not a risk | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
to society and is being properly rehabilitated, it is in the best | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
interests of that individual and for that person to be released. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
Too often the victims of criminal driving, | 0:23:25 | 0:23:27 | |
they are and their families are not treated as victims of crime, | 0:23:27 | 0:23:37 | |
told they were involved in an accident. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:47 | |
When will that be changed and can the Minister tell us | 0:23:47 | 0:23:51 | |
when we will finally get the review into the sentencing of these | 0:23:51 | 0:23:55 | |
types of offences? | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
Thank you for the question. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:02 | |
I don't see that as part of my purview but if he would write | 0:24:02 | 0:24:06 | |
to me I will reply to him on this issue. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:09 | |
I would agree victims in these situations need more protection | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
and the culture needs to change. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:13 | |
The best ways to ensure justice is served is to ensure victims | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
have the chance to make a victim impact statement to the court | 0:24:16 | 0:24:20 | |
but this does not always happen. | 0:24:20 | 0:24:21 | |
What can the Minister do to ensure this happens in every case? | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his question. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
As I understand it, they are getting more opportunity to do this now | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
because of the opportunity to do this online. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
I would agree that this is something that | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
should be put in place. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:36 | |
As has been mentioned earlier, today's report on violence | 0:24:36 | 0:24:38 | |
against women and girls shows an increase in prosecutions, | 0:24:38 | 0:24:41 | |
however victims charities remain concerned about their futures | 0:24:41 | 0:24:46 | |
as was stated by the chair of the police and crime commissioners | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
supporting the group when asking the ministry to clarify | 0:24:49 | 0:24:51 | |
funding available to be cc earlier this year. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
The minister told my honourable friend for Wigan that he would be | 0:24:54 | 0:24:58 | |
keeping an eye on this matter, which is not good enough | 0:24:58 | 0:25:01 | |
with respect. | 0:25:01 | 0:25:08 | |
Will the secretary of state confirm victim services will receive | 0:25:08 | 0:25:12 | |
the full funding required? | 0:25:12 | 0:25:15 | |
The victim services budget has increased significantly from ?48 | 0:25:15 | 0:25:25 | |
million to around ?95 pounds in the current financial year. | 0:25:25 | 0:25:37 | |
In 2016 and 17 we have allocated about ?7 billion to 99 rape support | 0:25:37 | 0:25:41 | |
centres providing up to male and female victims of rape | 0:25:41 | 0:25:43 | |
and child sexual abuse. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:44 | |
I do not recognise the description the shadow minister has given, | 0:25:44 | 0:25:47 | |
this Government is committed to protecting victims, | 0:25:47 | 0:25:49 | |
particularly women who have been victims of crime. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
Question number six. | 0:25:52 | 0:25:52 | |
The illicit use of mobile phones in prison undermines security, | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
order and control and has been linked to many forms of criminality. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
This Government is determined to take action to stop it? | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
The connection between technology and radicalisation by | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
the dissemination of extremism in prisons is one of the most | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
critical challenges we face. | 0:26:06 | 0:26:08 | |
Will my honourable friend continue to do all that is possible | 0:26:08 | 0:26:10 | |
to ensure that prisoners, who already face difficulties | 0:26:10 | 0:26:15 | |
re-engaging in with society, do not have a difficult task made | 0:26:15 | 0:26:18 | |
impossible by those who would use mobile phones and technology | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
to spread extremist poisoning? | 0:26:21 | 0:26:25 | |
My honourable friend will have no doubt seen the Government response | 0:26:25 | 0:26:28 | |
to the review on extremism. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure extremist ideologies | 0:26:31 | 0:26:33 | |
are not spread by any means, including mobile phones. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:45 | |
There have been reports in Swansea prison of people simply throwing | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
mobile phones over the wall, which provides anonymity | 0:26:48 | 0:26:51 | |
for prisoners to indulge in all sorts of criminal activity. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
What is he doing about this sort of thing? | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
He makes a very important point, every governor I have spoken | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
to in the last six weeks has mentioned the growing problem | 0:26:59 | 0:27:02 | |
of illegal mobile phones in prison. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:04 | |
I believe technology is vital to detect and block these | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
phones, so in addition to the range of technologies already deployed | 0:27:07 | 0:27:13 | |
across the prison estate, we have held a high-level meeting | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
with mobile network operators asking them to use their expertise | 0:27:16 | 0:27:19 | |
to develop new technological solutions to deny mobile | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
phone signals in prisons. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:36 | |
As responsible businesses, I expect these operators | 0:27:36 | 0:27:38 | |
to fully cooperate. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:39 | |
Question seven. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:45 | |
There is and there will be an appropriate level of corporate | 0:27:45 | 0:27:49 | |
vision for the people of Bury. | 0:27:49 | 0:27:54 | |
Thank you, and I warmly welcome my honourable and learned | 0:27:54 | 0:27:56 | |
friend to his new role, and thank you for that brief reply. | 0:27:56 | 0:27:59 | |
While school provision might be regarded as adequate now, | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
what is important is that it continues to be | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
adequate in the future. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:14 | |
And with the new Lord Chancellor and a new ministerial team, | 0:28:14 | 0:28:17 | |
could I ask that they look again at the proposals | 0:28:17 | 0:28:19 | |
for North Manchester, particularly the consequential | 0:28:19 | 0:28:21 | |
effects on, for example, the police budget as the police | 0:28:21 | 0:28:24 | |
are faced with longer journey times when they attend court? | 0:28:24 | 0:28:26 | |
I am immensely indebted to the honourable gentleman. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
Can I start by paying tribute to the work that my honourable | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
friend has done, and for the proposals that he has put | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
forward about his local court situation. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:46 | |
He will know, as a lawyer as well, that we are investing huge amounts | 0:28:46 | 0:28:53 | |
of money, ?1 billion, to transform Court Tribunerals. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:55 | |
This modern technology improves efficiency and means fewer people | 0:28:55 | 0:28:58 | |
need to attend court in person. | 0:28:58 | 0:28:59 | |
There are excellent facilities are available to the people | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
of Bury and Manchester, which has some of the best | 0:29:02 | 0:29:05 | |
courts in the country. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:06 | |
The Minister will know that the proposals across the whole | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
of Greater Manchester are quite far reaching and controversial in parts | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
of that city region. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:18 | |
Can he explain to the house is precisely what has been agreed | 0:29:18 | 0:29:21 | |
with the Greater Manchester combined authority in the memorandum | 0:29:21 | 0:29:24 | |
of understanding that his department has signed with them, | 0:29:24 | 0:29:28 | |
and whether or not it means the combined authority can look | 0:29:28 | 0:29:31 | |
again at some of those procedures? | 0:29:31 | 0:29:37 | |
Of course, he will realise that none of these decisions is taken lightly | 0:29:37 | 0:29:40 | |
and it is important to work closely with local government. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:46 | |
That is exactly what has been happening. | 0:29:46 | 0:29:48 | |
Just to give him an impression of the tremendous improvement | 0:29:48 | 0:29:53 | |
that this court modernisation programme is making, | 0:29:53 | 0:29:55 | |
it has been going for four months and 6 million pieces of paper have | 0:29:55 | 0:29:58 | |
been avoided as a result, that is a pile of paper, | 0:29:58 | 0:30:01 | |
using digital case files. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:03 | |
6 million pieces of paper avoided, meaning a pile as high | 0:30:03 | 0:30:05 | |
as the largest building in London, the Shard. | 0:30:07 | 0:30:12 | |
Huntington is a splendid part of the world which deserves to be | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
very well represented by the honourable gentleman, | 0:30:15 | 0:30:17 | |
but it is a long way from Bury, to which this | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
question exclusively relates. | 0:30:20 | 0:30:28 | |
The question is about Bury. | 0:30:28 | 0:30:29 | |
He can come in later and I look forward to hearing from him. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:35 | |
This information is published by the legal professions. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:42 | |
For example, 13% of QCs are women and 6% of QCs declare themselves | 0:30:42 | 0:30:49 | |
as coming from a BAME background. | 0:30:49 | 0:30:54 | |
That shows a very limited progress. | 0:30:54 | 0:30:56 | |
What can the Government do to improve this? | 0:30:56 | 0:31:06 | |
I thank him for his question. do to improve this? | 0:31:06 | 0:31:08 | |
We want a justice system that works for everyone, a legal services | 0:31:08 | 0:31:12 | |
industry using all the talent in our country. | 0:31:12 | 0:31:14 | |
I have already had very positive conversations with the Lord Chief | 0:31:14 | 0:31:20 | |
Justice, who is keen to improve diversity figures in the judiciary, | 0:31:20 | 0:31:26 | |
and I am due to meet the bar Council shortly to talk | 0:31:26 | 0:31:30 | |
specifically about the bar. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:31 | |
What assessment has my right honourable friend made | 0:31:31 | 0:31:34 | |
of opportunities to increase apprenticeship-based routes | 0:31:34 | 0:31:37 | |
into the legal professions and the prison services, | 0:31:37 | 0:31:39 | |
to increase social mobility? | 0:31:39 | 0:31:40 | |
I thank him for his question, I am a huge fan of apprenticeships. | 0:31:40 | 0:31:44 | |
With the new apprenticeship levy, that brings a big opportunity | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
for some of our large legal services firms, | 0:31:47 | 0:31:49 | |
but right across the board to increase the number | 0:31:49 | 0:31:51 | |
of apprenticeships. | 0:31:51 | 0:32:02 | |
It is something I will talk to them about over the coming months. | 0:32:02 | 0:32:08 | |
As one London provider of legal education, fees for the academic | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
year ahead are as follows, nearly ?11,000 for the graduate | 0:32:11 | 0:32:15 | |
diploma in law, over ?15,000 for the legal practice course | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
and almost ?19,000 for the bar professional training course. | 0:32:18 | 0:32:20 | |
On top of the cost of university education, these fees | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
are beyond the reach of many from ordinary backgrounds. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
Given this reality, how will the Minister ensure | 0:32:25 | 0:32:28 | |
a diverse legal profession? | 0:32:28 | 0:32:35 | |
I thank him for his question. | 0:32:35 | 0:32:38 | |
I have been discussing this right across the legal profession. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:49 | |
One of the issues that we have is that the younger end, | 0:32:49 | 0:32:53 | |
we are seeing a lot more diversity, the question is how people progress | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
through the pipeline. | 0:32:56 | 0:32:57 | |
I would like to see more transparency so we can look | 0:32:57 | 0:33:00 | |
at people moving through the system. | 0:33:00 | 0:33:02 | |
I have no doubt that with the Lord Chief Justice | 0:33:02 | 0:33:04 | |
and leading judges, they want to see more diversity and they are | 0:33:04 | 0:33:08 | |
keen to work with me. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:09 | |
Number nine. | 0:33:09 | 0:33:10 | |
With your permission, I will group this with question 15. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:14 | |
Prisons must become places of rehabilitation where offenders | 0:33:14 | 0:33:17 | |
can change their lives and turn away from crime, addressing health needs | 0:33:17 | 0:33:20 | |
including mental health is key in this. | 0:33:20 | 0:33:22 | |
We are committed to meeting the mental health needs | 0:33:22 | 0:33:25 | |
of prisoners. | 0:33:25 | 0:33:26 | |
All prisons must have procedures in place to identify, | 0:33:26 | 0:33:28 | |
manage and support those with mental illnesses. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:32 | |
Can the Minister confirm that governors will have new powers | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
and abilities to run their own mental health and health budgets, | 0:33:35 | 0:33:43 | |
and will that also include co-commissioning of mental health | 0:33:43 | 0:33:49 | |
services with local CCGs? | 0:33:49 | 0:33:54 | |
It is under consideration at present, I think commissioners | 0:33:54 | 0:33:56 | |
have an important part to play in helping to structure health care | 0:33:56 | 0:33:59 | |
services within prison. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:16 | |
Does the Department have a figure for the numbers in prison | 0:34:16 | 0:34:18 | |
at the moment who have mental health issues, would my honourable friend | 0:34:18 | 0:34:21 | |
reassure me that prison staff are adequately trained to deal | 0:34:21 | 0:34:24 | |
with those people exhibiting mental health issues? | 0:34:24 | 0:34:26 | |
I thank him for his question. | 0:34:26 | 0:34:28 | |
Based on a Ministry of Justice survey, 49% of prisoners | 0:34:28 | 0:34:31 | |
were assessed as being at risk from anxiety and/ or depression, | 0:34:31 | 0:34:33 | |
16% reported symptoms indicative of psychosis. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:35 | |
Department of Health figures are somewhat different, | 0:34:35 | 0:34:37 | |
north of 90% of prisoners have a mental health problem | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
if you include substance misuse. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:41 | |
This is an area where I am seeking more data. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:58 | |
We are committed to meeting the mental health needs | 0:34:58 | 0:35:00 | |
of prisoners, which is why all new intake prison officers | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
receive mental health awareness training as part of | 0:35:02 | 0:35:05 | |
entry-level training. | 0:35:05 | 0:35:05 | |
100 people have taken their lives in prison in the past year, | 0:35:05 | 0:35:08 | |
the highest level for over 25 years. | 0:35:08 | 0:35:10 | |
Over 9000 people have self harmed in prisons, an increase of over 25% | 0:35:10 | 0:35:14 | |
in the last year alone. | 0:35:14 | 0:35:19 | |
I think the Government should be ashamed, I think it is a dereliction | 0:35:19 | 0:35:23 | |
of their duty of care. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:24 | |
I want to know what they will actually do to look at the thousands | 0:35:24 | 0:35:28 | |
of prisoners who had serious mental health conditions and are not | 0:35:28 | 0:35:31 | |
being looked after. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:32 | |
I thank the honourable lady for her question. | 0:35:32 | 0:35:34 | |
Mental health is pretty complex, the genesis of problems do not just | 0:35:34 | 0:35:37 | |
occur in the terms of the parliament. | 0:35:37 | 0:35:50 | |
The system in place in terms of mental health care | 0:35:50 | 0:35:53 | |
and the continuity of care for people before, | 0:35:53 | 0:35:56 | |
during and after their stay in prison is clearly not | 0:35:56 | 0:35:58 | |
worried should be. | 0:35:58 | 0:35:59 | |
I would argue that has been the case for many decades. | 0:35:59 | 0:36:02 | |
I have been asked to look at this and will be doing so, | 0:36:02 | 0:36:06 | |
but this is a huge and very complex area and I am not about to make | 0:36:06 | 0:36:10 | |
dispatch box commitments on it as a consequence. | 0:36:10 | 0:36:12 | |
But there is a particular risk for women in prison, | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
30% of women prisoners have had a previous admission | 0:36:15 | 0:36:17 | |
for a psychiatric problems before they went into prison. | 0:36:17 | 0:36:20 | |
In the last year, 11 women have killed themselves. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:22 | |
My impression is that this is because the last Secretary | 0:36:22 | 0:36:25 | |
of State did not focus on the recommendations of a report | 0:36:25 | 0:36:28 | |
which would have ensured a better level of mental health | 0:36:28 | 0:36:31 | |
for women in prison. | 0:36:31 | 0:36:32 | |
What is this minister going to do on this report, | 0:36:32 | 0:36:34 | |
and on women in prison? | 0:36:34 | 0:36:45 | |
I thank her for her question. | 0:36:45 | 0:36:47 | |
I have read that report, it is good. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:49 | |
It was published in 2007 and is still relevant today, | 0:36:49 | 0:36:51 | |
with some international coherence within another report | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
about youth offenders. | 0:36:53 | 0:37:10 | |
I will be looking at it and I am personally persuaded of some | 0:37:10 | 0:37:13 | |
of the arguments within. | 0:37:13 | 0:37:14 | |
But the idea that the former Secretary of State was in anyway not | 0:37:14 | 0:37:18 | |
keeping a close eye on this, I have seen no about. | 0:37:18 | 0:37:21 | |
Mr Speaker, Speaker... | 0:37:21 | 0:37:21 | |
Those convicted of sexual offences are just one cohort of the range | 0:37:21 | 0:37:25 | |
we manage daily. | 0:37:25 | 0:37:31 | |
In doing so, we shall make sure estate capacity is realigned | 0:37:31 | 0:37:34 | |
to meet the demand for places, including those convicted | 0:37:34 | 0:37:37 | |
of sexual offences. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:37 | |
I thank him for his reply. | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
HMP in my constituency has seen a huge surge in prisoners | 0:37:40 | 0:37:43 | |
for sexual offences, either on remand or | 0:37:43 | 0:37:44 | |
serving a sentence. | 0:37:44 | 0:37:55 | |
This puts massive pressure on staffing, space and resources. | 0:37:55 | 0:37:57 | |
What specific advice can he give HMP Lewes? | 0:37:57 | 0:38:00 | |
Those served with sexual offences at HMP Lewes and general are held | 0:38:00 | 0:38:03 | |
in separate units providing suitable accommodation for their | 0:38:03 | 0:38:05 | |
offending behaviour. | 0:38:05 | 0:38:22 | |
Perhaps I can reassure her that the prison received over ?100,000 | 0:38:22 | 0:38:25 | |
of a ?12 million Government fund for safety, planning | 0:38:25 | 0:38:27 | |
to spend this on staff. | 0:38:27 | 0:38:29 | |
There is a recruitment drive is going on at the moment. | 0:38:29 | 0:38:32 | |
Staff are being vetted, a number of staff will | 0:38:32 | 0:38:34 | |
be starting imminently. | 0:38:34 | 0:38:35 | |
Surely the Minister would understand that whether it is prisoners | 0:38:35 | 0:38:38 | |
who have been tried and convicted for crimes of a sexual nature | 0:38:38 | 0:38:41 | |
or prisoners with mental health problems or other problems, | 0:38:41 | 0:38:43 | |
it is the quality of management prisons which must give us | 0:38:43 | 0:38:46 | |
all great concern. | 0:38:46 | 0:38:57 | |
When my select committee looked at education in prisons, | 0:38:57 | 0:39:00 | |
we kept coming back that the culture of the prison comes from the top | 0:39:00 | 0:39:04 | |
and is supported by well-trained and well-educated prison officers. | 0:39:04 | 0:39:06 | |
Mr Speaker, I agree entirely with the honourable gentleman | 0:39:06 | 0:39:08 | |
that the quality of the leadership in the prison makes a huge | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
difference to the regime, has staff are inspired, but also how | 0:39:12 | 0:39:15 | |
deep can rehabilitate offenders. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:20 | |
That is why those on this side of the house argue for prison | 0:39:20 | 0:39:24 | |
reform, where we empower these governors, give them control | 0:39:24 | 0:39:26 | |
of budgets and enable you to get local resources to meet | 0:39:26 | 0:39:29 | |
the needs of offenders. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:31 | |
Number 11. | 0:39:31 | 0:39:43 | |
Mr Speaker, with permission I would like to group questions | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
11 and 16. | 0:39:46 | 0:39:46 | |
Most offenders arrive in prison with very low levels of educational | 0:39:46 | 0:39:50 | |
attainment, very high levels of substance misuse and often very | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
poor histories of employment. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:54 | |
I believe modern prisons have a purpose, to keep the public | 0:39:54 | 0:39:59 | |
safe and tackle each of these issues, so prisoners | 0:39:59 | 0:40:02 | |
have the foundations to secure and hold down | 0:40:02 | 0:40:04 | |
a job on release. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:05 | |
I would like to thank my honourable friend, but I have recently visited | 0:40:05 | 0:40:12 | |
prisoners from my constituency who told me that offenders do not | 0:40:12 | 0:40:21 | |
have access straightaway on release to | 0:40:21 | 0:40:26 | |
national insurance numbers, bank accounts or unemployment benefits. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:28 | |
What steps are the Government taking to improve this? | 0:40:28 | 0:40:34 | |
I agree with the honourable member that if this through the gate | 0:40:34 | 0:40:38 | |
service, as we call them, are to work and stop reoffending, | 0:40:38 | 0:40:41 | |
things like national insurance numbers and bank accounts need | 0:40:41 | 0:40:43 | |
to be in place. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:45 | |
There are a series of programmes in place, including an offender | 0:40:45 | 0:40:48 | |
banking programme which opened about 5000 new bank accounts every | 0:40:48 | 0:40:50 | |
year. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:55 | |
The Minister is right, in fact that research shows that | 0:40:55 | 0:41:11 | |
employment after custody greatly affects the amount of reoffending. | 0:41:11 | 0:41:13 | |
What are they doing with the Department for Work | 0:41:13 | 0:41:16 | |
and Pensions to ensure offenders find work after they leave prison | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
and also stay in work? | 0:41:18 | 0:41:20 | |
To tackle the challenge of getting prisoners work when they leave, | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
the member has rightly identified it acquires a concerted effort | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
across Government and across the community. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:27 | |
Every prisoner has the opportunity to meet with a DWP work coach | 0:41:27 | 0:41:31 | |
before their release and the role of the work coach is to guide | 0:41:31 | 0:41:34 | |
them to employment. | 0:41:34 | 0:41:35 | |
Work coaches can ensure a prisoner knows their national insurance | 0:41:35 | 0:41:37 | |
number and the other services they need in order to make | 0:41:37 | 0:41:41 | |
the appropriate transition. | 0:41:41 | 0:41:41 | |
When many prisoners are already on short-term sentences for under | 0:41:41 | 0:41:44 | |
nine months and are often in prison for short periods, could he give | 0:41:44 | 0:41:49 | |
some advice as to how governors will be judged on placing those | 0:41:49 | 0:41:53 | |
prisoners into employment when the challenges are difficult? | 0:41:53 | 0:41:58 | |
I've met with a number of governors since I've been appointed to this | 0:41:58 | 0:42:04 | |
job, and most governors will tell you what they want is to be | 0:42:04 | 0:42:07 | |
empowered to match resources to the needs of prisoners | 0:42:07 | 0:42:10 | |
in their prison, working with local employers and the entire community. | 0:42:10 | 0:42:13 | |
That is what governors want. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:21 | |
The other point is that this is not just the responsibility | 0:42:21 | 0:42:24 | |
of governors, if we want prisoners to go out and be able to find work, | 0:42:24 | 0:42:44 | |
then businesses have a role, companies play a role | 0:42:44 | 0:42:50 | |
and we all have a role, because prisoners can leave them | 0:42:50 | 0:42:53 | |
and have jobs and restart their lives for the better | 0:42:53 | 0:42:55 | |
and we all benefit. | 0:42:55 | 0:42:56 | |
More than 60% of young people in the justice system | 0:42:56 | 0:42:59 | |
have a communications disability and more than one third of young | 0:42:59 | 0:43:02 | |
offenders have speaking and listening skills at the level | 0:43:02 | 0:43:05 | |
expected for an 11-year-old. | 0:43:05 | 0:43:06 | |
With the skills being fundamental with the ability to hold down a job, | 0:43:06 | 0:43:09 | |
will the Minister update the house of what assessment the Government | 0:43:09 | 0:43:12 | |
makes of speech and language support need and how well that | 0:43:12 | 0:43:15 | |
need is being met? | 0:43:15 | 0:43:16 | |
The member is obviously right, lots of prisoners arrived with huge | 0:43:16 | 0:43:19 | |
learning difficulties and a disadvantage and that is well | 0:43:19 | 0:43:22 | |
documented, what we need is individual programmes tailored | 0:43:22 | 0:43:24 | |
to the needs of the prisoner and the way to do that | 0:43:24 | 0:43:27 | |
as the honourable member said, is to empower governors to work | 0:43:27 | 0:43:30 | |
with probation companies, rehabilitation organisations, | 0:43:30 | 0:43:31 | |
to deliver these programmes. | 0:43:31 | 0:43:36 | |
He said to the minister, I raise a report on this matter | 0:43:36 | 0:43:39 | |
myself in two dozen and it's got a copy | 0:43:39 | 0:43:42 | |
of voice and sure you'll find on the internet. | 0:43:42 | 0:43:44 | |
Or in the house library. | 0:43:44 | 0:43:45 | |
I'm sure the honourable gentleman does. | 0:43:45 | 0:43:47 | |
We are immensely grateful. | 0:43:47 | 0:43:49 | |
Fewer than half of the people entering our prisons have basic | 0:43:49 | 0:43:52 | |
standards of English and maths, this is an enormous problem | 0:43:52 | 0:44:01 | |
because we know low levels of education can prevent people | 0:44:01 | 0:44:04 | |
from securing jobs on release and leading law-abiding lives. | 0:44:04 | 0:44:07 | |
The secretary of state is right in saying in order to get a job | 0:44:07 | 0:44:10 | |
the need to have both literacy and numeracy are essential. | 0:44:10 | 0:44:15 | |
Should we be putting more resources into educating prisoners on release | 0:44:15 | 0:44:18 | |
to be able to get jobs? | 0:44:18 | 0:44:20 | |
My honourable friend is right. | 0:44:20 | 0:44:22 | |
The fact is too many people enter our prisons without those | 0:44:22 | 0:44:27 | |
skills, but we need to use that time in prison to help those prisoners | 0:44:27 | 0:44:30 | |
gain those basic skills so they succeed outside. | 0:44:30 | 0:44:35 | |
What we started doing is measuring, testing prisoners as they enter | 0:44:35 | 0:44:43 | |
prisons, what I'm looking to see is, we measure the progress made | 0:44:43 | 0:44:46 | |
during their stay in prison so we can hold governors | 0:44:46 | 0:44:49 | |
accountable for that. | 0:44:49 | 0:44:50 | |
Could the Minister confirmed there will be no return | 0:44:50 | 0:44:52 | |
to the policy on banning books for prisoners? | 0:44:52 | 0:44:54 | |
I confirm that books are freely available in prison. | 0:44:54 | 0:45:00 | |
I warmly welcome the Right Honourable friend to her position. | 0:45:00 | 0:45:14 | |
I was delighted to see the new Secretary of State | 0:45:14 | 0:45:18 | |
talk about the importance of art in prisons and I hope | 0:45:18 | 0:45:28 | |
that my honourable friend will recognise how they can teach | 0:45:28 | 0:45:43 | |
prisoners a range of skills and hope she will meet the Arts | 0:45:43 | 0:45:46 | |
Alliance that the earnest opportunity to discuss what the arts | 0:45:46 | 0:45:57 | |
can do in particularly in relation to literacy. | 0:45:57 | 0:46:01 | |
Firstly can I say what a fantastic job my honourable friend has | 0:46:01 | 0:46:05 | |
done in championing the arts in every part of our country | 0:46:05 | 0:46:08 | |
and his legacy lives on. | 0:46:08 | 0:46:09 | |
It will live on in our prisons. | 0:46:09 | 0:46:11 | |
I'm sure he is overcome with emotion, what a happy day. | 0:46:11 | 0:46:14 | |
What discussions will she have with the Justice Department | 0:46:14 | 0:46:20 | |
into devolved legislators to insure that best practice is replicated | 0:46:20 | 0:46:23 | |
in improving literacy across prisons in all of the UK? | 0:46:23 | 0:46:29 | |
I'm looking forward to meeting my counterparts across the UK | 0:46:29 | 0:46:32 | |
and discussing these critical issues because it is a challenge | 0:46:32 | 0:46:35 | |
we all face. | 0:46:35 | 0:46:35 | |
Extreme brevity is now required. | 0:46:35 | 0:46:37 | |
The Government's reform programme is intended to deliver a simple | 0:46:37 | 0:46:40 | |
modern justice system that is available for everyone. | 0:46:40 | 0:46:42 | |
East Lancashire, including my constituency of Blackburn and up | 0:46:42 | 0:46:46 | |
to five other constituencies has only one Legal Aid, | 0:46:46 | 0:46:56 | |
so that makes listers frontier with housing, | 0:46:56 | 0:46:58 | |
what the Minister do about this desert of legal advice? | 0:46:58 | 0:47:01 | |
It is important they should be legal aid available | 0:47:01 | 0:47:03 | |
and it is in housing cases. | 0:47:03 | 0:47:05 | |
As it is, in the most important cases where people's life or liberty | 0:47:05 | 0:47:08 | |
or home is at stake, it is also available in domestic | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
violence cases and cases where children may be | 0:47:11 | 0:47:13 | |
taken into care. | 0:47:13 | 0:47:14 | |
I'm grateful to the honourable lady for highlighting this issue. | 0:47:14 | 0:47:17 | |
Let's be clear that legal aid in housing cases is something | 0:47:17 | 0:47:20 | |
that is available and there is a national helpline | 0:47:20 | 0:47:22 | |
as well as the services of lawyers across the country. | 0:47:22 | 0:47:24 | |
Topical questions, Mr Douglas Carswell. | 0:47:34 | 0:47:36 | |
I'm proud to take on the role of Lord Chancellor | 0:47:36 | 0:47:41 | |
and Justice Secretary, upholding the rule of law | 0:47:41 | 0:47:48 | |
and our justice system. | 0:47:48 | 0:47:58 | |
I'm determined to insure our prisons are of safety and reform, | 0:47:58 | 0:48:01 | |
where offenders can get off drugs, improve education and get the work | 0:48:01 | 0:48:04 | |
likely to reoffend. | 0:48:04 | 0:48:04 | |
skills they need to their less likely to reoffend. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:09 | |
I would like to pay tribute to our brave prison officers | 0:48:09 | 0:48:12 | |
and probation staff. | 0:48:12 | 0:48:13 | |
Over the next couple of months I will lay out my plans for prison | 0:48:13 | 0:48:17 | |
reform and setting out plans to modernise the courts to ensure | 0:48:17 | 0:48:20 | |
we continue to have a world leading justice system. | 0:48:20 | 0:48:22 | |
Sir James Mumby was asked to undertake a review of the family | 0:48:22 | 0:48:26 | |
Court in August 2014, can the Minister shed light | 0:48:26 | 0:48:28 | |
on ending the secrecy that can lead it to injustice. | 0:48:28 | 0:48:32 | |
I thank the honourable gentleman for his | 0:48:32 | 0:48:37 | |
question, I am due to meet James Mumby | 0:48:37 | 0:48:39 | |
next week to discuss this issue. | 0:48:39 | 0:48:41 | |
There's been some progress in bringing the family Court | 0:48:41 | 0:48:44 | |
but there is a balance to be struck behind highly sensitive issues | 0:48:44 | 0:48:49 | |
and opening it up fully, I will get more detail. | 0:48:49 | 0:48:51 | |
Will my honourable friend commit to using all the powers | 0:48:51 | 0:48:54 | |
at her disposal to protect British military personnel and veterans | 0:48:54 | 0:48:57 | |
who have served our country bravely and with great honour | 0:48:57 | 0:49:00 | |
from the spurious and outrageous legal claims like those | 0:49:00 | 0:49:02 | |
pursued by people such as public interest lawyers? | 0:49:02 | 0:49:05 | |
I am delighted to tell my honourable friend that this summer the legal | 0:49:05 | 0:49:08 | |
aid agency pulls the plug on its contract with public interest | 0:49:08 | 0:49:11 | |
lawyers, it will no longer be adamant chasing our | 0:49:11 | 0:49:14 | |
brave service personnel. | 0:49:14 | 0:49:14 | |
Legal aid should support vulnerable people in our society, | 0:49:14 | 0:49:17 | |
not used to pursue spurious cases against our Armed Forces who do | 0:49:17 | 0:49:20 | |
so much to serve our country. | 0:49:20 | 0:49:22 | |
Can I join colleagues in welcoming the new Justice Secretary | 0:49:22 | 0:49:24 | |
and her team to their new roles. | 0:49:24 | 0:49:31 | |
The Government has created the toxic conditions for the record levels | 0:49:31 | 0:49:43 | |
of violence, drug crimes and death across the prisons | 0:49:43 | 0:49:56 | |
by reducing the number of prison officers by one third yet the former | 0:49:56 | 0:49:59 | |
prison minister spent much of his time at the dispatch box this | 0:49:59 | 0:50:03 | |
year telling me privately about his department was not | 0:50:03 | 0:50:05 | |
successful recruitment drive. | 0:50:05 | 0:50:06 | |
He did Justice Secretary did not have the figures earlier answering | 0:50:06 | 0:50:09 | |
a question from my friend, so I will help out. | 0:50:09 | 0:50:12 | |
Can she explained why we have 421 fewer full-time equivalent front | 0:50:12 | 0:50:15 | |
line prison officers working in our public prisons | 0:50:15 | 0:50:17 | |
than we did one year ago? | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
I fully acknowledge that we do have issues with violence and safety | 0:50:19 | 0:50:22 | |
in our prison, the levels are unacceptable and I am determined | 0:50:22 | 0:50:25 | |
to deal with issues like this and I will lay out my plans shortly. | 0:50:25 | 0:50:29 | |
Since the Government has no provision privatisation, | 0:50:29 | 0:50:30 | |
concerns have repeatedly been raised about the quality of presentence | 0:50:30 | 0:50:33 | |
reports for the court as a result of arbitrary targets set. | 0:50:33 | 0:50:37 | |
The probation inspectors have described this month as a persistent | 0:50:37 | 0:50:40 | |
problem leading to inappropriate sentences being handed down. | 0:50:40 | 0:50:42 | |
Vital safeguarding checks such as domestic violence checks | 0:50:42 | 0:50:45 | |
with pulleys and child protection checked with children's services | 0:50:45 | 0:50:47 | |
are not taking place prior to sentencing. | 0:50:47 | 0:50:49 | |
Will the Justice Secretary commit to an urgent review | 0:50:49 | 0:50:54 | |
so the public, probation professionals and sentences can | 0:50:54 | 0:51:01 | |
have confidence when convicted criminals are sensed those deciding | 0:51:01 | 0:51:07 | |
of all the necessary evidence available? | 0:51:07 | 0:51:09 | |
Probation services do vital work at the minister responsible | 0:51:09 | 0:51:11 | |
for prisons and probation is looking very close at this issue. | 0:51:11 | 0:51:14 | |
I would point out that those on shorter sentences get much more | 0:51:14 | 0:51:17 | |
support thanks to our new probation contracts. | 0:51:17 | 0:51:19 | |
Questions must be brief. | 0:51:19 | 0:51:21 | |
There is a lot to get to and not much time. | 0:51:21 | 0:51:26 | |
I would never excuse criminal behaviour, but some former prisoners | 0:51:26 | 0:51:29 | |
have been denied opportunities in life many of us take for granted, | 0:51:29 | 0:51:33 | |
what is the department and other Government departments doing | 0:51:33 | 0:51:35 | |
to ensure the life chances agenda extends the prisons? | 0:51:35 | 0:51:43 | |
I thank my honourable friend for that question, prisons | 0:51:43 | 0:51:45 | |
are places where some of the problems in society | 0:51:45 | 0:51:51 | |
are magnified. | 0:51:51 | 0:51:52 | |
As the Prime Minister said, if we're going have a society | 0:51:52 | 0:51:59 | |
and country that works for everyone, prison reform is part | 0:51:59 | 0:52:08 | |
including literacy, training, work in prisons | 0:52:08 | 0:52:10 | |
and unemployment opportunities when people are released. | 0:52:10 | 0:52:15 | |
The Secretary of State will know that Charlie Taylor was asked | 0:52:15 | 0:52:18 | |
to carry out a review of the youth justice system last year and enter | 0:52:18 | 0:52:22 | |
it does make an interim report was published in February | 0:52:22 | 0:52:24 | |
and we were promised the final one in July, we don't have it, | 0:52:24 | 0:52:35 | |
can the Secretary of State tell us when and | 0:52:35 | 0:52:39 | |
where we will have an explanation? | 0:52:39 | 0:52:40 | |
I thank the honourable lady for this question, | 0:52:40 | 0:52:42 | |
it's an incredibly important issue, but the youth justice Minster | 0:52:42 | 0:52:45 | |
and I have ever met Charlie Taylor and we will be publishing our | 0:52:45 | 0:52:49 | |
response this autumn. | 0:52:49 | 0:52:49 | |
Does the Department intends to promote English law, | 0:52:49 | 0:52:52 | |
the rule of law and our legal sector around the world, particularly to | 0:52:52 | 0:52:55 | |
take advantages of the opportunities that may arise from Brexit? | 0:52:55 | 0:52:58 | |
English law had a huge impact spreading the rule of Law around | 0:52:58 | 0:53:01 | |
the world, it is the law of choice in over one quarter of jurisdictions | 0:53:01 | 0:53:05 | |
and Brexit gives us even more opportunities to promote this. | 0:53:05 | 0:53:08 | |
I will champion our ?25 billion legal services industry as a key | 0:53:08 | 0:53:11 | |
part of post-Brexit global Britain. | 0:53:11 | 0:53:13 | |
The selected media has expressed concern that judges are reporting | 0:53:13 | 0:53:16 | |
they hear no money claims at all, claims brought by workers | 0:53:16 | 0:53:21 | |
in low-paid sectors and which often succeeded, when will the Government | 0:53:21 | 0:53:27 | |
publish the review of the impact of implement tribunal fees | 0:53:27 | 0:53:30 | |
which is now six months overdue and had to restore justice | 0:53:30 | 0:53:38 | |
for low-paid workers? | 0:53:38 | 0:53:40 | |
Can I start by welcoming the report on court and tribunal fees, | 0:53:40 | 0:53:44 | |
we intend to respond and we will also publish the review | 0:53:44 | 0:53:47 | |
of changes to employment tribunal fees in due course. | 0:53:47 | 0:53:49 | |
This is an important area and we will do that. | 0:53:49 | 0:53:52 | |
I would like to ask the Secretary of State about the treatment | 0:53:52 | 0:53:55 | |
of women giving birth in prisons and those with young children. | 0:53:55 | 0:53:58 | |
And whether she will do more to ensure that children have | 0:53:58 | 0:54:01 | |
access to their mothers and where appropriate | 0:54:01 | 0:54:07 | |
their fathers, and can be as near to them as possible? | 0:54:07 | 0:54:12 | |
I thank the honourable lady for the question. | 0:54:12 | 0:54:18 | |
100 babies resided in mother and baby units in prison in 2015, | 0:54:18 | 0:54:27 | |
prisons do an excellent job making sure these environments are built | 0:54:27 | 0:54:30 | |
as is possible and babies can spend time away from the prisoners | 0:54:30 | 0:54:33 | |
nominated carers but knowing the importance of early years | 0:54:33 | 0:54:36 | |
is essential we consider alternative ways of dealing with female | 0:54:36 | 0:54:38 | |
offenders including those with young children and babies | 0:54:38 | 0:54:41 | |
and care responsibilities. | 0:54:41 | 0:54:41 | |
The Secretary of State alleged earlier to the closure and imminent | 0:54:41 | 0:54:44 | |
sale of Holloway prison and made me aware | 0:54:44 | 0:54:46 | |
of the wish to cite a women's sector on the site, discussions are taking | 0:54:46 | 0:54:50 | |
place with the Mayor of London but I wonder if the Secretary | 0:54:50 | 0:54:54 | |
of State could confirm that she and the Government | 0:54:54 | 0:54:56 | |
will play its part in ensuring an outcome that secures services | 0:54:56 | 0:54:59 | |
for women on that site. | 0:54:59 | 0:55:00 | |
I thank the honourable lady for a question and I will be | 0:55:00 | 0:55:04 | |
interested in looking more at the details on that proposal. | 0:55:04 | 0:55:15 | |
Following the closure of the courthouse in my | 0:55:15 | 0:55:19 | |
constituency, the previous minister decided that it should go | 0:55:19 | 0:55:30 | |
to Stockport and Chesterfield as was originally intended. | 0:55:30 | 0:55:36 | |
A sign has appeared on the district quarries that McCourt has seen | 0:55:36 | 0:55:39 | |
the work when the Chesterfield, will my honourable friend | 0:55:39 | 0:55:42 | |
investigators and injure the decision by the ministers | 0:55:42 | 0:55:44 | |
admitted, not the one by the officials in the original | 0:55:44 | 0:55:47 | |
flawed consultation? | 0:55:47 | 0:55:47 | |
I am grateful to my honourable friend for having raised this issue, | 0:55:47 | 0:55:51 | |
he will be pleased to note that I have had the notice taken down. | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
But the response to the consultation stated | 0:55:54 | 0:55:56 | |
that the work would go to Stockport and Chesterfield, | 0:55:56 | 0:55:58 | |
that is what is happening. | 0:55:58 | 0:56:00 | |
Further to a previous question, I have many constituents who cannot | 0:56:00 | 0:56:03 | |
get access to employment tribunals because the fees have proved | 0:56:03 | 0:56:06 | |
prohibitive that were introduced in the last parliament. | 0:56:06 | 0:56:08 | |
Can the minister promised the house today that he will make a statement | 0:56:08 | 0:56:11 | |
to the House on the impact of those fees? | 0:56:11 | 0:56:14 | |
As he will have heard, we recognise that we need | 0:56:14 | 0:56:17 | |
to produce our review, which we will publish, | 0:56:17 | 0:56:22 | |
and also to respond to the Justice committee's report. | 0:56:22 | 0:56:25 | |
And, of course, their documents, which will be available | 0:56:25 | 0:56:27 | |
in the vote office. | 0:56:27 | 0:56:28 | |
That will happen in due course, we are committed to that. | 0:56:28 | 0:56:31 | |
And effective court administration is very different from retaining | 0:56:31 | 0:56:34 | |
costly court buildings. | 0:56:34 | 0:56:35 | |
But whether the closures are going hand-in-hand | 0:56:35 | 0:56:40 | |
with investment and better use of technology and efficiencies, | 0:56:40 | 0:56:53 | |
that includes in surrounding courts, not least in Bury, Mr Speaker. | 0:56:53 | 0:56:56 | |
I was not psychic, but I realised what the honourable gentleman | 0:56:56 | 0:57:00 | |
earlier was driving at and I am glad he was persistent. | 0:57:00 | 0:57:03 | |
Persistence pays. | 0:57:03 | 0:57:03 | |
Minister? | 0:57:03 | 0:57:04 | |
My honourable friend is right, we need a programme | 0:57:04 | 0:57:07 | |
of transformation that maintains the very high quality | 0:57:07 | 0:57:09 | |
of our legal system. | 0:57:09 | 0:57:10 | |
I don't think many in this house would disagree that it is one | 0:57:10 | 0:57:14 | |
of the best in the world. | 0:57:14 | 0:57:16 | |
But we want it to be the most modern as well. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:19 | |
We are investing ?1 billion, we have saved a shard load of paper, | 0:57:19 | 0:57:23 | |
as I mentioned earlier, and we will do a lot more of this. | 0:57:23 | 0:57:29 | |
Our courts are benefiting from the digital revolution that | 0:57:29 | 0:57:32 | |
every other part of society is benefiting from already. | 0:57:32 | 0:57:35 | |
My constituent's 17-year-old son was murdered last year. | 0:57:35 | 0:57:38 | |
Will the Minister meet with me and the mother to discuss | 0:57:38 | 0:57:50 | |
the repeated failings in the justice system that mean that his killer | 0:57:50 | 0:57:53 | |
is still walking the streets? | 0:57:53 | 0:57:54 | |
I would be very happy to meet the honourable lady | 0:57:54 | 0:57:57 | |
and her constituents, I am sorry to hear about the case. | 0:57:57 | 0:58:01 | |
Colin Pitchfork was convicted of raping and murdering two young | 0:58:01 | 0:58:03 | |
girls in the 1980s. | 0:58:03 | 0:58:06 | |
Will the Minister please assure me and the public of their safety, | 0:58:06 | 0:58:09 | |
given that Mr Pitchfork is being moved to an open prison? | 0:58:09 | 0:58:17 | |
The honourable member will be aware that transferring prisoners | 0:58:17 | 0:58:19 | |
from from one prison to another is done on a careful | 0:58:19 | 0:58:22 | |
assessment of the risks. | 0:58:22 | 0:58:29 | |
I am sure that would have taken place, but I am happy to discuss | 0:58:29 | 0:58:33 | |
in detail if he wants to do so. | 0:58:33 | 0:58:35 | |
Does the Secretary of State accept that the Human Rights Act | 0:58:35 | 0:58:39 | |
is an indispensable part of the Good Friday Agreement, | 0:58:39 | 0:58:44 | |
and whatever the plans for elsewhere, the Government | 0:58:44 | 0:58:47 | |
is obligated to the retention of the Human Rights Act | 0:58:47 | 0:58:49 | |
in Northern Ireland as a co-guarantor of | 0:58:49 | 0:58:53 | |
the Good Agreement? | 0:58:53 | 0:58:58 | |
The UK has led the world in human rights, from Magna Carta | 0:58:58 | 0:59:02 | |
to habeas corpus. | 0:59:02 | 0:59:04 | |
We are committed to bringing forward a British Bill of Rights to further | 0:59:04 | 0:59:08 | |
build on these ancient protections. | 0:59:08 | 0:59:11 | |
The Prime Minister has already met Nicola Sturgeon to make sure | 0:59:11 | 0:59:17 | |
that the UK works together... | 0:59:17 | 0:59:22 | |
And intensity meets... | 0:59:22 | 0:59:23 | |
We intend to meet... | 0:59:23 | 0:59:26 | |
We intend to meet, as the Secretary of State said, all those | 0:59:26 | 0:59:29 | |
across the United Kingdom with concerns about it. | 0:59:29 | 0:59:38 | |
You're under arrest. | 0:59:42 | 0:59:44 | |
You're going to prison. | 0:59:44 | 0:59:46 | |
In what sense are you free? | 0:59:46 | 0:59:49 | |
I live at a level of intensity | 0:59:49 | 0:59:51 | |
unknown to you and others of your type. | 0:59:51 | 0:59:54 | |
You will never know the almost God-like power that I feel | 0:59:54 | 0:59:57 | |
when that last bit of breath leaves a body... | 0:59:57 | 1:00:00 | |
VOICE DISTORTS That feeling of complete possession. | 1:00:00 | 1:00:04 | |
SHE TAKES A BREATH | 1:00:06 | 1:00:08 | |
PLAYS FANFARE | 1:00:11 | 1:00:13 | |
It's a bang. | 1:00:20 | 1:00:21 | |
Whoosh! | 1:00:21 | 1:00:23 | |
SINGS STRICTLY THEME | 1:00:23 | 1:00:25 | |
You're getting grumpy. | 1:00:30 | 1:00:32 | |
Ah-ha. | 1:00:35 | 1:00:36 | |
What next? | 1:00:36 | 1:00:37 |