Independent Office for Police Conduct

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

The budget for 2021-22 is £69.6 million and will remain so for 2022-23. The IOPC employs about 1,000 staff, and nearly 30% of them have a police background—so I think it is pretty well resourced.

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Liberal Democrats and the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, wishes to speak virtually. I think this is a convenient point to call her.

[Baroness Harris of Richmond (LD) [V]]

My Lords, the IOPC does not work alone to deal with investigations. We know that investigations can take time, but can the Minister tell me where delays in the system are occurring and what the Government are doing to help alleviate them?

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Committee stage
Wednesday 24th November 2021 Lords Chamber

Why is it not a two-way street any more? How are we to send a signal to Russia, China and other countries about the right to protest, as we try to? The Foreign Office's website has all sorts of condemnations of behaviour that would be allowed—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

This has been quite a long speech. We do need to get through business tonight. Can noble Lords please respect other Members and think about the length of their contributions?

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

Perhaps the Government could decide not to bring huge Bills such as this, so that we are forced to sit late at night.

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)]

This is the 11th day in Committee on the Bill; I think we have given it due course. I am sorry, but I do not accept the noble Baroness’s views. Perhaps we can all respect each other and move on. Noble Lords have very important points to make, but if we can make them succinctly, that will be very helpful.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

Respect goes both ways. The Government are not respecting this House.

Police: Sarah Everard Vigils

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Wednesday 17th March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Wasserman (Con) [V]]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister and her ministerial colleagues in the Home Office on giving police and crime commissioners their unequivocal support for the internal review of PCCs, the findings of which were announced earlier this week. I express my hope that the electorate across England and Wales will be encouraged by this review to turn out and vote on 6 May for their local PCC. Given that it now appears that PCCs will be with us for some time, does the Minister agree that PCCs should make it a priority to develop close working relationships with their chief constables so that the operational decisions of their chiefs on matters such as the policing of vigils and other major events are publicly supported by the local PCC on the basis that they had been fully consulted about them beforehand?

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

Before the Minister responds, could I ask noble Lords to please keep their questions brief?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con) [V]]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his kind words, and of course PCCs have our full support. It is absolutely crucial that the various agencies communicate with each other when such events are to take place and that PCCs are fully keyed into those events. For the most part, the events held over the weekend went very peacefully.

Stop and Search

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Woolley of Woodford (CB) [V]]

My Lords, this is an honest and fair report. I declare my interest as a board member for Police Now, which seeks to recruit graduate police officers, particularly from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Our job is made that much worse when we see the levels of stop and search for black youths at nine times higher than for their white peers. When 95% of the nation was in lockdown, stop and search for black youths went up 25%, and they were often humiliated as well as being stopped and searched. It was not for knives, in general; 70% of it was for drugs. Often the smell of marijuana—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

Could the noble Lord please ask a question?

[Lord Woolley of Woodford (CB) [V]]

Does the Minister agree with me that this disproportionality, which alienates so many youths and puts off so many of them from joining the police, must change? We must police by consent.

Immigration: Refugee Doctors

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Monday 24th February 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches. If we get a short question, we shall hear from the Labour benches too.

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering]

My Lords, I am grateful. Will my noble friend ensure that any doctor who seeks to practise, whether a refugee doctor or otherwise, is registered to practise in their home country and has not, under any circumstances, been struck off and banned from practising there?

Brexit: Child Refugees

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Monday 8th January 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Massey of Darwen (Lab)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

Order. We will hear a short question from the Liberal Democrats and then from the Labour Benches.

[Baroness Garden of Frognal]

Will the Government introduce a system of reconsideration before formally rejecting applications? Currently, rejections can be made on the basis of something as simple as a spelling mistake, which would involve the child starting all over again from scratch. A system of reconsideration would involve a great shortening of delays, as well as avoiding stress and distress for vulnerable children.

Children: Refugees

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Wednesday 13th September 2017 Lords Chamber

[Noble Lords]

Order!

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park)]

My Lords, we will hear from the Cross Benches.

[Lord Green of Deddington]

My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that the Government are to be congratulated on the large number of child refugees they have taken? Does she further agree that we need to proceed with care in that if we take refugee children who have already arrived in Europe, we will tempt other families to send their children off at great risk? It is a much better course to do what the Government are doing: take them from the region itself and deal with Christians in a fair and sensible way.

Male Abusive Behaviour

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Wednesday 8th March 2017 Lords Chamber

[Earl Cathcart (Con)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches.

Religious Literacy

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Thursday 9th February 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hussein-Ece (LD)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Liberal Democrats.

[Baroness Hussein-Ece]

Does the Minister agree that last weekend’s Visit My Mosque initiative, which hundreds—indeed, maybe thousands—took advantage of, was a very good and positive example of promoting greater understanding, community cohesion and tolerance in our society? Does she think that we should have more such initiatives from all faiths to bring people together and establish a more understanding and truthful dialogue?

Alcohol

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts

Tuesday 6th December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Con)]

My Lords—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches.

[Baroness Jenkin of Kennington]

My Lords, is my noble friend aware of any plans to improve calorie labelling on alcoholic drinks? Experiments I have seen show that if people are aware of the amount of calories they are drinking, they will drink up to 50% less than they had planned to otherwise.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Earl of Erroll (CB)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches.

[The Earl of Erroll]

My Lords, is the Minister concerned that if you increase the price of alcohol, it makes other dangerous drugs relatively cheaper, and therefore what happens is that you switch people to another drug? Is she also concerned that addiction, and treating it, is the real problem, and that is what we should be doing?