Contributions
933 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI do not believe and I have not seen evidence that modern conversion therapy is a widespread practice. However, the hon. Member must recognise that the Bill does not say that one…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI will come on to every clause as we go through this, so the hon. Gentleman does not have to worry about that. This is a contentious area, and we have heard in the debates in the…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI quite agree. This Bill stops parents sending their children to conversion practices; it does not promise to solve the world for LGBT people. I cannot promise that parents will…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI totally agree. Everyone in the House will know that I am not immune to getting stuck into this debate. We have had sparring partners across the Chamber on these issues, but that…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI hope it does. Yesterday, all the major counselling, therapeutic and health organisations provisionally agreed an indicative vote to support the Bill, with no organisation voting…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillThat is why the predetermined purpose is so important in the Bill. Rather than having arguments about which evidence is better, I have sought a way to find a framework that…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI quite agree. I understand from previous conversations that the Government do not outright oppose the Bill—we will see how the Minister responds today, as that might have…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. When my former partner disclosed to me that he had twice gone through conversion practices, first facilitated through his…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillThe right hon. Gentleman says he does not understand or has not heard scenarios in the debate that would be covered by the Bill but are not covered by existing legislation. I give…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) Billclaimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillFirst, the Minister has to recognise that the Bill will be brought into force in Scotland or Northern Ireland only if there is the consent of the legislators and Ministers in…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI do not agree with much of what the right hon. and learned Member is saying. She must recognise that we do legislate in the House for things other than harms. For example, we…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI do not want to delay the Minister, because we want to get on with this now. She will acknowledge that I twice presented these clauses to the Government. Twice the Government…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillIt is clear in the exemptions that individual prayer is not caught by the Bill, but if Members feel that that is too thinly defined, we could thrash it out in Committee. Can the…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillWill the hon. Gentleman give way?01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillThat is exactly why I have used words that already exist in legislation. We can have that debate on the Sentencing Act 2020 and on the Equality Act 2010—I wish you good luck in…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI will come to the hon. Gentleman’s point and will suggest an amendment that might, if he were to allow it to proceed in Committee, make him feel happy and resolve the situation.01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI totally agree. In the process of writing the Bill, I endeavoured to meet everyone who asked. I visited people in their communities across the country and I invited people to…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI quite agree. That is why it is important that the Government support the Bill, and thrash out the details later in Committee. When I met the Secretary of State we talked about…01 Mar 2024HANSARD Conversion Practices (Prohibition) BillI will come to exactly that in a moment, but the hon. Member makes valid points that we should address. Some were worried when I was drawn in the private Member’s Bill ballot that…01 Mar 2024