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HANSARDPublic Order BillMy Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions throughout this debate. I will endeavour to respond to the points that have been made. For the record, I refute the…01 Nov 2022HANSARDPublic Order BillThat it be an instruction to the Committee of the Whole House to which the Public Order Bill has been committed that they consider the Bill in the following order: Clauses 1 to…01 Nov 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsActually, that is a helpful question, because the electorate do of course have ultimate responsibility for the election of the PCCs. I am pleased to say that the electorate seem…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime CommissionersI am afraid I will disappoint my noble friend to some degree. As I said, we are committed to developing reforms in this area, and this will obviously need to look at the specific…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI absolutely think that it is, but police and crime commissioners are of course answerable to their electorate, so it depends on the electorate’s priorities. I imagine that the…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsThe Government are confident that the panels have the appropriate powers—agreed by Parliament, as I said—to effectively scrutinise the actions and decisions of PCCs and enable the…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI thank my noble friend for his helpful question. It is of course up to the Government, and we talked about last week’s Casey review at some length in the Chamber. The Government…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI have answered the question about the point. I have the turnout figures: in 2012, it was 15.1%; in 2016, it was 27.4%; and in 2021, it was 33.9%. We cheerfully accept that those…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsIt is fair to say that the role has evolved to some extent. Whether it is appropriate to have an overall review is already under discussion.31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI would argue that it is about public accountability, not party politics. We heard through part 1 of the PCC review that the public cannot always easily access information on how…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI am obviously aware of the noble Lord’s long engagement with this subject, but I do not agree; there are lots of reasons why things have happened.31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsAs the noble Lord will be aware, the Government believe that panels have the appropriate powers, agreed by Parliament, to effectively scrutinise the actions and decisions of PCCs…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsMy Lords, it is not for me to comment on individual cases. However, police and crime panels must refer serious complaints and conduct matters to the Independent Office for Police…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsMy Lords, the two-part police and crime commissioner review considered the role of police and crime panels and concluded that they have the appropriate powers to scrutinise police…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime Commissioners and PanelsI made it clear that there is a transparency and accountability issue. I am grateful to my friend Katy Bourne, the Sussex police and crime commissioner. She tells me that PCCs are…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPolice and Crime CommissionersMy Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords for their contributions and very much congratulate my noble friend Lord Lexden as well on securing this important debate. I know that…31 Oct 2022HANSARDPublic Spaces Protection OrdersAs I said earlier, the contracts that are awarded to these companies are governed by quite stringent guidance and rules. It is a matter for local authorities and the contracting…27 Oct 2022HANSARDPublic Spaces Protection OrdersI entirely agree with my noble friend. I would have thought that the voters would be the key factor in determining whether this is an appropriate policy. I am sure some would…27 Oct 2022HANSARDPublic Spaces Protection OrdersWell, the noble Lord has already asked me that and I think I have already answered. The Home Office has provided statutory guidance to support local areas to make effective use of…27 Oct 2022HANSARDPublic Spaces Protection OrdersNo, the relevant guidance does not, because, as I say, this is a matter for the local authorities. As I understand it, there is no mention of profit.27 Oct 2022