Contributions
2,140 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)That serves to demonstrate the dynamic nature of different forms of protest. If a decision is to be made during the course of a protest, it will be made by a senior officer of…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)Thank you, Holst. But a protest creating the same amount of noise over several days might meet it, given the extended duration of the protest.08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)I can help the hon. Gentleman on the officer point. Pre-procession—in other words, in respect of processions that are yet to happen—the conditions must be assessed, and if…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)The organiser in those circumstances would, of course, be liable to having a committed an offence only if they breached the order. Indeed, this is the important point. It is for…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)Indeed. Of course, we are rightly sitting here scrutinising every single word of the Bill carefully, but a senior police officer on the ground will have had a great deal of…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)First and foremost, the hon. Lady is certainly not being annoying; she is doing her job and her duty on the Committee. I am feeling my way here carefully because obviously…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)That is precisely why we are introducing an objective test in clause 54(3). The hon. Lady will see the wording: “For the purposes of subsection (1)(ab)(i), the noise generated by…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)Again, I point to the disruption and to the tactics that have been developing over recent years, which have grown not just more disruptive but, in some cases, more distressing.…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)The custodial aspect has been increased from three months to six months in relation to organisers of public processions and assemblies who go on to breach conditions, as well as…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)Very much so. This is about ensuring that the rights that we have spoken about so far are protected, and that the integral balance of the social contract is maintained. My right…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)I cannot add to what I said earlier. These are all reserved matters. I move on to public assemblies. I will explain why it is necessary for the police to be able to place the same…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)Forgive me. I do please want to place on the record the enormous contribution that the suffragists made. Indeed, some would argue that while the suffragettes did powerful work in…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)That is one of the things addressed by the Bill’s clauses. If I may, I will go methodically through the examination of the clauses. There is a reason why we are trying to draw…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)The hon. Lady has summarised the very great responsibilities borne by senior officers in charge of protests. Of course protest should not be banned—I said at the beginning that…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)They would. The hon. Lady may remember that I questioned Mr Wagner about his interpretation of the Public Order Act. We acknowledge, and I think the police have said, how dynamic…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)It does. I will come to that, if I may, but there is a difference between increasing the maximum and doing this, as some have claimed—I accept that it is in the heat of debate—in…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)Clauses 69 to 74 and schedules 8 and 9 update the law in relation to the production and surrender of driving licences, so as to streamline the processes for the electronic…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Ninth sitting)My hon. Friend makes a very important point. There is a responsibility on all of us in the language we use. I know that in the heat of debate and the joy of advocacy, one can…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)In that scenario, the hon. Gentleman is right, in that we are addressing the behaviour that is set out in proposed new section 60C(4). In the event of a travelling community…08 Jun 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution, and I am really happy to clarify this. I understand the concerns that have been voiced, but there is clearly a great deal of…08 Jun 2021