Contributions
2,107 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)That is just nonsense. The hon. Lady will not address the issue of disruption or reasonable excuse. I am sure the police are able to determine and the courts will interpret what…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)I will give way to the hon. Member for Croydon Central.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)Does the hon. Lady accept that, in the Bill as drafted, the reasonable excuse defence and the serious disruption requirement mean that not all lock-ons will necessarily be a…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)I have already spoken about the harm that locking on can cause and we feel strongly that those who commit locking on should face a sentence proportionate to the harm they cause.…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)To be clear, all the people who currently lock on are arrested and charged with other offences, including in Scotland. It is not necessarily the case that more people would be…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)On Cromwell Road in west London, a lorry pulled up and scaffolding was quickly brought out and semi-erected, but as Territorial Support Group 5 happened to be on the scene, the…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)The notion of reasonable excuse is well defined in our common law and is adjudged by courts daily, particularly in protest situations. We have seen that over the last few months.…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)It does now.14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Third sitting)Amendments 29, 46 and 30 target clause 1, which introduces a new offence of locking on. Locking on is an extremely disruptive and often dangerous tactic that can place both…14 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (First sitting)Q Obviously, a significant amount of effort and capacity goes into this work. A final question from me: do you think the police would benefit from more pre-emptive powers to…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (First sitting)Q Just to be clear—obviously, we all understand this, but just to be clear—the birth of HS2 followed a democratic decision in this House, following significant public debate and…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (First sitting)Q Under current legislation, one of the challenges that you obviously face in looking after protest is balancing the right to protest against the right of others to go about their…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (First sitting)Q Right. You do not quite say it in your written evidence, I do not think, but your view would be that these protesters are effectively trying to frustrate a democratic decision…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (First sitting)Q One form of protest that we have seen recently is locking on—people glue themselves to motorways or fuel depots and fuel gantries. Could you illustrate some of the dangers that…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Q Sorry, I was not necessarily referring to SDPOs. I meant more widely. At the moment, we have a situation where we see people go to prison in this country for so-called protest…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Q But nevertheless, the impact or effect of the two is not dissimilar. Martha Spurrier: Well, the impact of an SDPO is much, much wider, because you could end up having a civil…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Q I thought that for a breach of an injunction, you could face up to two years in prison. Martha Spurrier: You can. What I am saying is that you would not currently have an…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Q Okay, thanks very much. Mr Sprague, I want to ask you about other jurisdictions—most notably, Scotland. My perception is that Scotland has more draconian sentencing powers in…09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Under judicial supervision. Martha Spurrier: Yes, under judicial supervision—but, as we have said, to a low standard of proof, based on no criminal conduct.09 Jun 2022HANSARDPublic Order Bill (Second sitting)Q Would the same effect currently be achievable through an injunction against an individual through a civil route? Martha Spurrier: I don’t think so, because I do not think you…09 Jun 2022